Balance
by MelissaVampGrrl
Summary: Raven and Beast Boy share an intimate moment while in hiding and it jump starts a relationship neither expected.
1. Chapter 1: Balance

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Titans. Wish I did! Lol. Note: I enjoy challenging myself with writing. I pick a song and try to fit a story around it. I had some fun using Ed Sheeran's "Lego House" with this one. Hope everyone enjoys it!_

BALANCE

"You can't do this to me!" Raven could not remember a time she'd ever been this filled with rage. Her father was on a warpath. He had one target in mind—her—and she was being pulled from action. This was her fight, and she was being told to sit it out. "Robin, you can't do this! This is my fight!"

She stood facing her leader, someone she'd come to trust with her life, and for the first time since becoming a member of the Titans, she hated him. She could feel dark energy swirling beneath the surface, begging to be set free. It took everything in her to reign it back, to not lash out at him.

"You know this is the way it has to be," Robin said gently. "Trigon needs your blood for his ritual. We're not going to lead him right to you. Trust me, Raven. Please."

"I should have never told you about the ritual," she snarled. She'd trusted him to back her up, and instead he'd betrayed her. He was going to get everyone killed. They couldn't stop Trigon. Not without her help.

"I'm sorry, Raven."

At his placating tone, her ire rose. She felt her soul-self peeling away, looking to cause damage, to destroy. This was the type of thing she meditated to prevent, but her emotions were running too high. "Just leave!" She flung out a dark mass of energy and slammed the cabin door in his face.

As it reverberated on its hinges, she clawed her fingers in her hair and let out a scream. It sounded like a banshee wail as it bounced off of windows, coming back at her in angry waves. "He can be such a…such a…a _dick_!"

"It is his name, Rae."

She spun on the other person in the room, feeling the angry glow of her eyes. What a sight she must be. Black swirls of dark energy churning around her and red shining from her eyes. "This isn't a joke."

Most men would have recoiled at the sight of her, but Beast Boy stood his ground. He stared at her with his unnaturally green eyes and waited for her rage to fizzle out.

"I don't even know why you're here," she snarled at him. Next to him, a lamp shattered into a thousand pieces, raining glass along the carpet at his feet.

"Robin wanted me to keep you safe."

" _I don't need you to keep me safe_!"

He held up his hands in surrender. "Fine. Not safe. I'm just…backup. In case you need it." He frowned slightly. "If Trigon finds this place…" He trailed off, obviously not wanting to finish that sentence. If her father found this place, Beast Boy would be the only defense left, the world's last chance at survival. It was a grim thought.

She curved her arms around her waist as her rage dissipated, suddenly feeling very alone and very frightened. Trigon needed her blood to complete a ritual, one that would break a rift in the world as they knew it. He needed the blood of a daughter as sacrifice. She knew he would have offered her up had she been reigning by his side. Now…

She shook her head, the lack of anger leaving her feeling cold. "Why you?" she asked weakly. "Robin needs you out there. Why leave you behind as well? The team's already handicapped."

"Balance, Rae."

She blinked at him, uncertain she'd heard him right. "Balance?"

"Yeah. Balance." He turned his back on her, making his way to a table in the center of the living room. They were in some sort of safe house, one that had been used by someone else previously, as there was a scattering of Legos on the table and carpet.

Beast Boy bent to pick up a few of the colorful bricks. As she stood hugging herself in the doorway, he began popping the pieces together. He built the slow beginnings of a structure before sitting down on the carpet in front of the table and expanding on the project in his hands.

"Your darkness needs my…" He trailed off, lifting his gaze to hers for a moment and offering a small smile. "My wackiness." He shrugged a shoulder and went back to his Lego work of art. "Robin's no fool. He knows the only person who can tackle you in full rage mode is me." He smiled again. "You like me too much to get violent with me."

"Debatable," she said darkly. A frown tugged at her lips. Was she as obvious as that? She never laughed at his jokes. She never showed the slightest bit of interest in his antics. But somehow Robin had spotted the fondness for the changeling that she hid deep, deep down.

To hide her discomfort, she dropped her hands to her sides and pursed her lips as she gave his handiwork a pointed look. "What are you doing?" she asked irritably.

"Building you a Lego house."

She jolted in surprise. "Why?"

"You need it."

They were in a life and death situation here, and he thought the answer to her problems were little blocks of plastic? "I don't need your Lego house." Despite her denial, curiosity got the better of her and she watched as he built. Up and up his creation went, reaching up like the tower they called home.

"You do," he said with confidence. His long green fingers worked at the miniature bricks until the stack teetered. This seemed to be the signal that he was finished with his masterpiece. Standing, he took a step back and surveyed it. "For you, Rae."

"I don't want that."

He smirked. Leaning over, he snatched up the fire poker from where it leaned against the stone fireplace. "Wanna take a swing at it?" He waggled his dark eyebrows. "Mediation isn't the only way to let off a little steam."

She let out a bark of disbelieving laughter, unable to help herself. "You built that thing so I could smash it to pieces?" At his nod, she stepped forward and took the fire poker from him. "Thank you, Beast Boy. That was oddly…thoughtful."

So much of her life was out of her control. Everything was a struggle. But this little Lego house he'd built… Well, it was breakable. It was frail. It was something in her life she had control over.

With a holler of rage, she swung the fire poker at the colorful tower of children's block. The metal poker hit it with a resounding crack. Colorful bricks went flying in all directions, spraying the walls, the floor. She pulled back and took another swing at the remaining foundation, sending another wave of pieces scattering across the room. She put her entire self in that one moment of destruction, and it felt so good.

Lowering the poker to the floor, she stared at the mess around her. Her shoulders heaved with her breaths and her heart pounded in her chest. Even so, she felt her anger at Robin slipping away. She felt her fear easing, the tension in her shoulders lessening. He'd been right. She'd needed his Lego house.

 _I'm gonna pick up the pieces_

 _And build a Lego house_

 _When things go wrong we can knock it down._

"It'll be okay."

His soft words reached her ears and she let the fire poker drop from her fingers to the floor. She felt helpless tears welling, and she struggled to keep them back.

 _My three words have two meanings_

 _There's one thing on my mind, it's all for you_

"Robin will stop him, Rae. He will." He crossed the room to her side. After a moment's hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders in a comforting hug.

Raven clung to him. She allowed herself a moment of weakness she never would have succumbed to had they been at the Tower. She'd never allowed him to get this close. She never allowed anyone to get this close. It was too dangerous. For her. For them. But as the uncertainty of the outside world raged on, she sank into his warm, comforting embrace and just allowed herself a moment. Just one.

 _And it's dark in a cold December, but I've got ya to keep me warm_

 _And if you're broken I'll mend ya_

 _And keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on now_

The moment was over as soon as it began. Raven yanked away from him as if burnt, putting distance between the two of them. Her moment of weakness was over and if he told anyone about it, she would make him incredibly sorry. She tried to convey as much with her eyes, forcing as much fire into them as she could.

Instead of looking threatened, he offered her a lopsided grin. "How about we make some dinner? We could be here a while." With that, he turned and headed into the home's kitchen. It was attached to the living room in an open floor plan, so she could see him bustling about, making himself at home.

As he began preparing them dinner, she wrapped her arms around herself once more with a little shudder. She was so out of touch with reality, of how real people worked. His simple act of kindness hit her hard. Her own father didn't love her. After some of the things she'd done to survive her upbringing, she wasn't sure if she even loved herself. Yet this boy was with her. He was picking up the pieces of her crumbling life and holding them together. He was keeping her sane.

Robin had been right about that balance thing. No one else could have kept her from breaking apart in this moment but Beast Boy. His lightness kept a tight restraint on her inner darkness. He didn't treat her with "kid gloves" as the saying went. He didn't cower away from her anger. He didn't push either. He just lent her calmness with his genial nature.

 _I'm out of touch, I'm out of love_

 _I'll pick you up when you're getting down_

 _And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now_

"You okay with pasta?" Beast Boy called from the kitchen. At her gentle nod, he went back to working on their dinner. "I'm going to make us some salads too. I'm in the mood for green peppers."

Vegetarian. Of course, he was making a vegetarian dinner. On a normal day, that might have annoyed her, but now she just bobbed her head in agreement. She stayed where she was in the living room, watching him from a distance. She hoped if she kept a safe distance between them, it would give her a moment to cool her emotions, to get herself back under control. If she kept him away, she could stop these feelings racing through her.

 _I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind_

 _I'll do it all for you in time_

 _And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now_

She didn't realize just how long she stood watching him, hiding away in another room. It was only when he called out that dinner was ready that she was able to force herself to move. Ever so slowly, she joined him in the kitchen to find two plates heaping with spaghetti. She took the seat across from him and just stared into her plate for a long moment. Finally, she whispered, "Thank you, Beast Boy."

"Anything for you, Rae."

OOOOOOOO

The next afternoon, Raven sat in the center of the living room floor meditating.

Beast Boy sat next to her, his own legs crossed and his eyes closed. He was trying his best to meditate with her, but she could sense his frustration with sitting still for so long.

She peeked one eye open and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He was twitching his nose, as if it was itchy but he was fighting not to scratch at it. She smiled despite her every effort not to. "You're hating this, aren't you?"

"It's just so boring, yo."

She attempted to frown at his slang, but found her lips tugging in amusement. She might be scary as hell, but street smarts she did not have. Beast Boy had an open, fun nature to him. Even though he spent most of his time at the Tower, he still somehow managed to retain the mentality of the average human boy. Along with all of their other annoying habits.

"There are other ways to let off steam, you know."

She relaxed her position on the floor, letting her hands drop to her sides, and sent him a curious look of amusement. "What exactly do you plan to do? You remember we're banished to this forsaken cabin, right?"

His grin was all boyish. "I saw some art supplies in one of the kitchen cupboards. Let's paint."

"Paint?"

"Yep!" He leapt to his feet and raced into the kitchen, already sold on his impromptu idea.

As she followed him at a more subdued pace, watching him yank supplies from the cupboard, she could almost forget why they were here. It was nice, not having to worry all the time. Was this what life was like for him most days? If so, she envied him.

Taking the same seat at the kitchen table as she'd taken the night before for dinner, she settled in and looked down at the small, square canvass he set in front of her. "What are we supposed to paint exactly?"

He grinned. "Each other?"

She rolled her eyes but conceded. "Whatever you say." She watched for a moment as he bent his head over his own canvass, getting immediately absorbed in his task.

 _I'm gonna paint you by numbers and color you in_

 _If things go right we can frame it, and put you on a wall_

Time swept by faster than she would have thought. This cabin should have been hell for her, but as she looked down at her painting, she realized he'd made it at least bearable. She silently cursed Robin for his skills at observation as she put the finishing touches on her picture.

She almost didn't want to admit it, but this had been just as calming as meditation. It made her wonder if she should get herself an easel and set up a small painting area in her room back at the Tower. Mixing things up couldn't hurt.

"I'm done," she announced. She turned her picture to face him so he could see it. She'd chosen to paint him, but not in his current state. The picture she showed him was of a large green tiger. Its mouth was open in a vicious roar, its claws extended in warning. She'd done her best to capture his unique spirit, his otherworldly green eyes. There were tiny details that differentiated from the average tiger. Things that were all him.

"That's awesome." He spun his own canvass toward her. "What do you think?"

His painting was a little clumsy, a little wobbly. The lines weren't all that defined and there was an almost awkwardness to it. But it was that awkwardness that managed to melt her heart. She stared at it and knew he'd put himself fully into the painting. She could sense emotions from people, but she felt as if she could almost feel the care he'd put into his portrait rising up from the paint.

"This is terrible, Beast Boy." She offered him one of her subtle smiles. "I love everything about it."

 _And it's so hard to say it but I've been here before_

 _And I'll surrender my heart and swap it for yours_

She stared across the table at him with a mixture affection and horror at that affection. She could not be feeling…

Beast Boy's communicator beeped and a moment later, Robin's voice floating into the air between them, coming down like a shield over her emotions. "Beast Boy…it's Robin. Trigon…he's only got a limited window for the ritual. It's got to be completed before sundown. We're…fighting off his henchmen…" The sound of a battle rang out in the background. "But I think they're starting to realize Raven isn't here. They're peeling off. I'm worried…" There was a loud grunt and a pause. "Just be prepared, all right? Don't let them get their hands on Raven."

The communication died out, leaving them both in silence. The enjoyment they'd been getting out of the afternoon was washed away in an instant. Raven was tossed right back into the hell her life had become. Her friends were fighting a battle because of her. They could be injured. Because of her.

How she had thought, even for this slight amount of time, that her life could be anything resembling normal was insane. Bitterness welled inside of her. There was no joy meant for her. No love. It was just death and violence and struggle.

She stared across the table at the boy in front of her and felt a mixture of longing and bitterness. She could never be like him. She could never be with him. No matter how much she might secretly care for him, it would never work. Her father wouldn't let it.

"Come on, Rae," he said softly. "We need to get ready. In case…" He trailed off. They both knew what came after "in case". There was no need to vocalize it. If Trigon's forces were pulling back, odds were he'd found her. They were in for a fight. If they couldn't last until sundown…

 _I'm out of touch, I'm out of love_

 _I'll pick you up when you're getting down_

 _And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now_

As if on cue, the door burst open and Trigon's cronies flowed into the cabin. "There she is!" One of them pointed at Raven, and the group came at her, menace in their every move.

"Get back, Raven!" Beast Boy's voice rang in her ear a moment before a loud roar ripped through the air. A tiger burst forward, racing at the cabin's invaders.

She stood frozen for a moment, watching from her spot in the kitchen while the green changeling leapt into the mass of men without hesitation. For her.

 _I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind_

 _I'll do it all for you in time_

 _And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now_

Pushing back her fear, she advanced toward the living room. They might be after her, but she wasn't about to cower. She was not going to leave him to fight this battle alone. She sent a blast of her soul-self at the nearest man, slamming his back against the wall.

He gave a strangled cry before falling unconscious to the floor.

Human. Their attackers were human…at least some of them. With a burst of confidence, she advanced into the room, blasting a second man away from Beast Boy. Then a third. It looked as if her father had sent as many people as he possibly could, but that meant sending humans to do a demon's job. She and Beast Boy were grossly outnumbered, but if they could just hold out until sunset. Just a little bit more…

She heard an inhuman growl to her left and turned just in time to duck out of the way of a fireball. It had come sailing her way from a man she'd never seen before.

He laughed, twirling another ball of fire in his palm. "Daddy says hello."

"Tell him to go to hell," she snarled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the first ball of fire had slammed into the kitchen tile, thankfully extinguishing on impact. If he threw another one and it hit curtains, they might be in a lot more trouble than they currently were.

"He's already there. He'd care for you to join him."

"I'll never join Trigon."

"If you won't go willingly, then we'll take you by force."

Raven didn't give him a chance to continue, to throw another ball of fire her way. While he was busy talking, she sent a blast of black power in his direction.

He was quick to react, hitting the black mass with a fireball. Both collided in midair and exploded in a rain of sparks and smoke.

She cringed and stumbled back. That had felt like a blast of heat ripping through her entire body. She felt weakened, drained. Fighting with her abilities was not going to be a possibility against this man.

He cackled, stomping across the floor toward her. "Enough. Just come quietly and—"

When he grabbed for her arm, Raven elbowed him in the nose. Bone broke and blood flowed.

He cursed, gripping his injured face. "I will kill you! _Do you hear that_?" He reached for her again. "Trigon just needs your blood. Orders didn't include bringing him a body." His hand latched onto her wrist, holding her captive.

With his free hand, he grabbed a knife from a sheath across his chest. He pulled his arm back, aiming a strike at her chest.

Before either could move, a green tiger came flying in their direction. Beast Boy tackled the man to the ground. Teeth flashed, claws lashed out. And screams filled the air.

Raven didn't have time to react, because someone else grabbed her from behind. She whipped her head back, cracking the back of her skull against the person's face. They dropped to the ground, releasing her.

Outside the window, she could see the sun dipping lower in the sky. They just needed to last a little longer. Just a little more…

A high, piercing yip filled the room. The sound only an animal could make.

Raven spun back to the struggle on the ground and gave a horrified scream. "Beast Boy!"

The tiger changeling had the knife intended for her jutting out of his ribcage. It roared in outrage before sinking its fangs deep into the fire-wielding man's shoulder. He shook the man like a rag doll, drawing out more screams.

Once the man stopped moving, Beast Boy collapsed to the floor, his breathing ragged.

Outside, the sun fell. As if a magical switch had been flicked, the men began retreating. They picked up their injured. They dragged the fire-wielder out of the door, retreating.

But the damage had been done. Beast Boy was on the ground—bleeding.

 _Don't hold me down_

 _I think my braces are breaking and it's more than I can take_

Raven dropped to her knees beside Beast Boy. Her fingers danced tentatively over his injury. "I've got to get the knife out. I can heal you."

He gave a grunt she took as acceptance, so she gripped the hilt of the knife and yanked it free. He gave another howl of pain and his form shifted back to his human—okay, mostly human—state. Blood pooled from the wound, soaking into the carpet beneath them.

Her heart in her throat, Raven pressed her hand to his side and concentrated all her efforts on healing him. She allowed her last reserves of energy to flow into him. His torn flesh knitted back together, the wound closing up.

It was only once she was certain he would be okay that she collapsed to the floor in a state of near unconsciousness. Between her fight with the fire-wielder and this, she was completely drained of power. She heard his communicator beep, heard Robin's voice, but she was too weak to respond.

"Yes. Yes. Raven's safe," Beast Boy assured. "But she's completely drained. I don't think she's in any state to travel. Give us until morning, all right?" He nodded, though Robin couldn't see him, before breaking off communication.

"Come on, Rae. Let's get you to bed."

Raven gave a soft mumble of protest when he scooped her up into his arms. "No…" He was injured too. There was no way he was feeling completely healed after being stabbed. It was impossible. Despite her objection, her head dropped tiredly to his shoulder. She could barely keep her eyes open, let alone fight him on his sudden chivalry.

He carried her into the main bedroom. Bending carefully, he lowered her to the soft mattress. He pulled the comforter down with awkward tugs and managed to get her underneath the blankets. As he was tucking them up around her chin, she reached a weak arm up to him. "Garfield…stay."

His green eyes widened in disbelief. This might be the first time she'd ever called him by his real name, and it obviously took him by surprise. After a moment to recover, he gave her a slow nod. "Okay."

Pulling back the blanket, he crawled in beside her. He offered a small, pained groan as he settled in.

She could sympathize. Her head was spinning and she felt like she could sleep for an eternity. Still, she took a moment to soak in the warm feel of his arm as it curved around her shoulder, holding her close.

 _And it's dark in a cold December, but I've got ya to keep me warm_

 _And if you're broken I'll mend ya_

 _And keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on now_

"I'm glad you're safe," he mumbled into her hair.

"I'm glad you're okay." Her fingers sought his waist and she brushed them along the healed skin where the knife had pierced him. "You shouldn't have put yourself in danger like that."

"Anything for you, Rae. You're worth it."

She froze as he nuzzled his cheek against the top of her head, but after a moment he went still, exhaling tiredly. She relaxed against him, curling up against his side. She was surprised to find warm tears leaking from her eyes. Had she ever been worth it to anyone else before? She knew the answer to that, and it was heartbreaking.

"Don't ever do that again," she whispered. "I couldn't bear to lose you."

"Noted," he whispered into her hair. "Ditto." And hugging her tight, he drifted off to sleep.

She lay awake for a long while, listening to his even breathing, soaking in the warmth of his body against hers. She couldn't sleep, she didn't want to. She knew this moment was finite, that they would return to the Tower and life would go back to normal. This moment would be forgotten by him, but it would be etched into her soul for eternity. She wanted it to last as long as it could. Because nothing else in her life had compared to this moment.

OOOOOOOO

Raven awoke before Beast Boy and was quick to slip out of bed, out of the room. She put distance between them, retreating back to the standoffish personality she was. She'd had a moment of weakness the night before, but she couldn't allow such a thing to happen again. Whatever feelings she had for him, she had to bury them. A happy ending was never meant for her. Her father would never let her go and anyone who attached themselves to her in an emotional fashion would be in danger.

 _I'm out of touch, I'm out of love_

 _I'll pick you up when you're getting down_

 _And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now_

The canvasses remaining spread out on the table caught her attention and she reached a finger out to gently stroke the painting of herself. Still, she would store the previous night away in her memory as one of the most intimate moments of her life. She never let anyone get close and Garfield had managed to do just that. He'd pierced her walls. He'd pierced her heart. She just had to keep him from knowing it.

 _I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind_

 _I'll do it all for you in time_

 _And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now_

From the bedroom doorway came his groggy voice. "You ready to head back to reality?"

 _No._ Her heart screamed in protest. She was not ready to let go of the previous night. Despite the violence and danger, it had been the most open she'd ever been with another person. Her heart ached at the thought of going back. She already mourned the warmth of his body beside hers. "Yes. I'm ready," she said in an even, emotionless voice. She had to smother the emotions swirling through her. Such things weren't meant for a half-demon. They didn't get happy endings. It didn't matter if they were in love.

 _I'm out of touch, I'm out of love_

 _I'll pick you up when you're getting down_

 _And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now_

"Back to reality," she said softly. "I look forward to it." A lie. But it was all she had to protect her heart.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "Me too."

She hoped he was lying as well, but there was no way to truly know. To soften the blow to her ego, she told herself he wasn't ready to go back either, but the truth was, it didn't matter. She would never get that happy ending.

 _I hope to continue this if it is well received._

 _If you like my writing, I am a published author. Check out my Amazon best selling young adult books written under Melissa Frost:_

 _Drusilla-Story-Stepsister-Tales-Esteria-ebook/dp/B01MU3DSJU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text &ie=UTF8&qid=1534528702&sr=1-1&keywords=melissa+frost_


	2. Chapter 2: Subtlety

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I'm not that cool._

 _Thanks for the feedback, everyone! It's what keeps me writing. I'm addicted to it. Seriously. And forgive me if I get any particulars wrong. I'm a new fan to the Titans, so I've only begun to obsess over all the tiny details._

 _This song is written around the song Bring Me To Life by Evanescence._

 **Subtlety**

Raven lay on her bed staring up at the ceiling. She'd come here after dinner and hidden away for as long as she possibly could. It was movie night at the Tower, and she would be expected in front of the television shortly.

Until then, she was taking a few precious moments of privacy. She found herself needing them more and more lately. Things had changed since she and Beast Boy returned to the Tower after the incident at the cabin. Only it wasn't him who'd changed. It was her.

This irritated her almost more than anything else. She'd told herself things would go back to normal, that he would forget about their intimate night in which she'd let down her walls in a way she never had before. She hadn't anticipated the problem being with _her_.

Upon returning, her eyes had been opened to some startling facts she'd been missing before. Beast Boy hadn't changed, no. She'd just started paying attention to him. She'd begun to actually _see_ him.

His interest in her was there if a person knew how to look, and now that she was paying attention, it was impossible to ignore. He didn't treat her any differently, but it was as if a curtain had come crashing down, making her see him for the first time. She wasn't even sure if he was aware of how much she was struggling since their return. His attitude toward her hadn't changed, so why would he?

She let out a frustrated huff. Then she turned her head to the side and glared at the painting of herself that she'd framed and put on the wall, as if it was somehow its fault. In a way, it sort of was. Before Beast Boy had painted that picture of her, she'd been moving through life in happy oblivion. Now her thoughts were a mess. And she was struggling in more areas than one. Her magic…power…whatever… It wasn't working right. She frowned at this admission.

She'd always been strong. Even when she was afraid to embrace her demon side, her power had always been overflowing. It took her a lot to keep it under control, though. Meditation. Concentration. Calmness. But she was having trouble with all of those lately. Normally, that might mean her losing control, giving in to a fit of rage. But recently, she'd just felt…drained.

It was her fault. She knew it was her fault. Her emotions were bouncing around everywhere. She couldn't concentrate. She couldn't keep her thoughts focused. It had started at the cabin. She shouldn't have been so drained after healing Beast Boy. But seeing him injured had sent her into a tailspin she had yet to recover from. It was like everything in her was rebelling because she couldn't get her head on straight. Whatever the solution, she needed to figure something out—and fast. She did not want to get someone hurt in battle because she couldn't get her shit together.

A knock sounded at the door and she turned her glare toward it. "What?" she snapped irritably.

Starfire's voice answered her from the other side of the door. "Friend Raven. We are preparing for the watching of the movie. Robin has requested you join us for the search of the snacks."

Raven gave an unintelligible grumble that Starfire must have taken as agreement, because she gave a chipper farewell and her footsteps could be heard skipping down the hallway.

Raven lay on her bed for a moment longer, trying to draw as much calming energy into herself as she possibly could. She sucked in a deep breath, held it, and then let it out in a slow stream of air.

Once her lungs were empty, she pushed herself upright and floated over to the door. After a moment's hesitation, she phased through it. If she stopped using her powers, people would start noticing. She had to keep behaving as if everything was perfectly normal and get over this silly…crush. She flinched at the word. She hated it. She hated to even admit it. She was the daughter of Trigon, a half demon. Demons did not get _crushes_. They weren't as weak as that.

With a frown on her lips, she made her way into the kitchen. Her frown deepened upon finding it empty—except for Beast Boy. Just her luck. "Where is everyone?" she asked, trying to keep her tone as even as possible.

"Cyborg expressed his craving for a burger, and the others jumped on board. They should be back soon." He shrugged a careless shoulder as he continued cutting up what looked to be some type of homemade salsa.

"Nice of them to ask me if I wanted anything," she grumbled.

Beast Boy looked up from his chopping with a little grin. "You didn't seem like you wanted bothered. I know what you like. I asked them to pick you up a few things. My treat."

She flinched, her shoulders bunching. It was such a simple statement. He hadn't meant anything by it, but it was still a reminder of the things she'd missed over the past few months. When had be become so observant?

"Should I not have done that?" he asked.

Forcing herself to relax her shoulders, she shook her head. "No. That's fine." She went to the cabinet where she kept a box of her favorite tea. As she was reaching for the container, he turned and waved the knife in his hand in her direction. "I got your tea started already. Figured Robin would complain if we weren't ready when they got back. I got a jumpstart on it for you." He motioned toward the kettle on the stove. "Should be done soon."

She froze for a moment, letting that sink in. He was making tea for her. Her mind raced through her memory, picking out a few other times he'd done this. How had she not picked up on it back then? She lifted her fingers off of the container of tea and headed over to the kitchen island where he was busy at work. She leaned against it, studying him thoughtfully. "Um…thanks."

"I know what you like, Rae," he said with a little wink.

Even that little, casual gesture made her uncomfortable. How had she completely missed this? It seemed so obvious. But then again, she wasn't wired to notice such things. She buried her emotions so deep that feeling anything more than mild enjoyment felt…wrong. Only there was all kinds of wrong going on in her head right now.

 _How can you see into my eyes like open doors_

 _Leading you down into my core_

 _Where I've become so numb_

 _Without a soul_

 _My spirit sleeping somewhere cold_

 _Until you find it there and lead it back home_

 _OOOOO_

The movie was halfway over and everyone seemed to be very into it. Starfire was at the edge of her seat. Robin—for once—was silent. Raven was fairly certain Cyborg hadn't blinked in forty minutes. Beast Boy had his eyes trained on the television, and he seemed completely absorbed in the movie. Raven was the only one unable to immerse herself in the story playing out on screen.

From the moment Beast Boy flopped down next to her on the couch, she'd become hyper aware of him. It was an effort not to glance in his direction. She was using no small amount of restraint to keep her eyes on the television, so much so that she couldn't actually focus on the movie.

With a little grumble at this, she slouched lower in her seat. This caused her hood to slip down around her shoulders. Normally, she might have quickly lifted it back up, but it was dark in the room and no one was looking at her. Not that they ever really cared when she put her hood down. It just made her feel more secure to hide behind it. It was one more wall around her, another layer of protection.

A few more minutes passed where she forced herself to try to figure out what was happening in the movie. The hero seemed to be seeking revenge against the villain for…something. She let out a sigh and nearly threw her hands up in frustration. The plot was too far along and she was too lost to catch up. Why was she even bothering to try?

Just as she was officially giving up, Beast Boy shifted in his seat. His arm looped around the back of the couch. Around her shoulders. It was such a casual move. In the dark, with no one paying attention, it would have normally gone unnoticed. Perhaps even by her. But she'd begun tracking all his small acts of affection. Some were so subtle that most people wouldn't notice, but they were always there.

She had admiration for his ability to not go directly for an aggressive approach. She wasn't one for open and blatant affection—though she had to admit he often flirted with her very openly in front of the others. But there was a subtleness to him as well. The open flirtation was just for fun, to get a laugh. But this…this was just for her. Only she'd been blind to it for so, so long.

Unfortunately, she could no longer ignore it. It was like he was drawing her soul out, heaving it up from a dark well she'd kept it trapped in for so many years. It terrified her—and it excited her.

Her shoulders tense at the sensation of his arm brushing along the tops of them, and she closed her eyes and counted to ten. She could ask him to move his arm. Any other day, she would have probably just used her soul energy to push him away. It was always so easy. But was that what she wanted anymore?

His fingers brushed gently along her hair. It was a move so elusive, it could have been an accident. It was the type of thing she always used to brush off as a coincidence. Only she couldn't keep denying the obvious—it wasn't an accident. Nor was it a coincidence. He was flirting with her.

She sat frozen for a moment, knowing she should push him away, knowing she should creep back down into that dark well and hide from her feelings. But his fingers in her hair felt…nice. Really nice.

He shifted again, mocking as if he was stretching out his limbs. And just like that, she was nearly tucked in against his side. Panic welled at his closeness and she jumped recklessly to her feet. It was too much. She needed back in that well. She needed back in the safety of her darkness. This…it was more terrifying than any villain she'd ever faced.

"I-I'm tired. I think I'm going to head to bed."

The others barely offered her a glance, as she often grew bored with movies and turned in early, but Beast Boy sat up suddenly in his seat. "Raven!"

She could not deal with this right now. Without answering, she rushed out of the living room and down the hallway, heading toward her bedroom.

 _(Wake me up)_

 _Wake me up inside (I can't wake up)_

 _Wake me up inside (save me)_

 _Call my name and save me from the dark_

She made it halfway down the hallway before Beast Boy caught up to her. "Raven, stop!"

 _Damn it!_ Couldn't she just retreat in peace? Why did he have to do this to her? Didn't he understand how uncomfortable he made her? At the cabin, realizing she had feelings for him had been awkward enough, but at least then she hadn't thought she would have to deal with them. He was pushing an issue she was not ready to deal with.

"Raven." He reached out and caught her wrist in an attempt to halt her progress.

She spun on him with an otherworldly snarl at being grabbed. Personal space! Why did he never understand a person's need for personal space?

At her snarl, he dropped her wrist as if burnt. "I'm sorry!"

 _(Wake me up)_

 _Bid my blood to run_

 _(I can't wake up)_

 _Before I come undone_

 _(Save me)_

 _Save me from the nothing I've become_

"What do you want?" she asked in a voice that could be taken as nothing other than hostile. She wanted to scare him off. She wanted to end this.

He flinched at her tone, but didn't back off. "Raven, we should probably talk."

"About what?" she asked, pretending as if she didn't know.

He ran a hand nervously along the back of his neck. "About the cabin?"

Those words sent her protective shields up into defensive mode. She backed up a step. "There's nothing to talk about." _There is! There's so much to talk about I don't even know where to begin._ She stamped out her inner voice. "I had a moment of weakness. It's over. End of story."

"Is that it?" he asked tentatively. "Nothing more."

"Nothing more." Her inner voice screamed at her again, pretesting her dismissal of him. _No! It meant so much more. It meant…everything._ "It meant nothing," she said with a shrug.

 _Now that I know what I'm without_

 _You can't just leave me_

 _Breathe into me and make me real_

 _Bring me to life_

He frowned and ran his hands along his own elbows, looking embarrassed and more than a little sheepish. "Are you sure? Because it felt like—"

"I'm sure," she said, cutting him off. "I was weakened. I needed assistance. You were convenient at the time. Don't look too much into things, Beast Boy." Inside, she was pounding at the walls that kept her trapped in her own protective bubble. She was screaming not to be put back down that dark well, but she was too afraid not to go. She just wasn't brave enough. She could fight any manner of bad guys, but she could no deal with human emotions. They were just…overwhelming.

 _(Wake me up)_

 _Wake me up inside_

 _(I can't wake up)_

 _Wake me up inside_

 _(Save me)_

 _Call my name and save me from the dark_

 _(Wake me up)_

 _Bid my blood to run_

 _(I can't wake up)_

 _Before I come undone_

 _(Save me)_

 _Save me from the nothing I've become_

He frowned. "Oh…okay. Well, if that was it…"

Beast Boy took a step back, and she felt her heart break. She'd done it. She'd protected herself from getting hurt…except somehow this hurt anyway. His step away from her felt as if he'd shattered her heart into a thousand pieces and stomped on the shards.

 _Bring me to life_

 _(I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)_

 _Bring me to life_

She lifted her chin, waiting for him to walk away.

Only he didn't.

He swept forward quicker than she anticipated. He cupped her cheek in his hand and whispered, "Don't hurt me for this." Then his mouth crashed down onto hers.

 _Frozen inside without your touch_

 _Without your love, darling_

 _Only you are the life among the dead_

She gave a squeak of protest and lifted her hands to push at his chest. But the moment her hands got there, they betrayed her. They gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly in clenched fists, holding on to him as if she teetered over the edge of a cliff and he was the only thing keeping her grounded.

She angled her face up to his—when had he gotten so tall?—and gave herself over to the kiss. She responded, her lips softening tentatively under his.

 _All this time I can't believe I couldn't see_

 _Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me_

 _I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems_

 _Got to open my eyes to everything_

 _Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul_

 _Don't let me die here_

 _There must be something more_

 _Bring me to life_

When he finally pulled back, she gazed up at him with what she knew must be complete disbelief in her eyes. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I wanted to," he said, lips curving in amusement. "And because I knew you never would. If it was ever going to happen, I was going to have to be the one to make it happen."

"Garfield…"

He pressed a finger to her lips. "We don't have to talk about it if it makes you uncomfortable. Just…don't shut me out." He offered her a lopsided grin. "I just wanted to be a hundred percent certain you were bluffing about not feeling anything for me. Now I know."

She blinked up at him, her heart racing with terror, with excitement. She couldn't deny it any longer. She'd tried. He'd seen right through her, right to her soul. But she couldn't admit it yet either, so she just gaped up at him, frozen in place.

 _(Wake me up)_

 _Wake me up inside_

 _(I can't wake up)_

 _Wake me up inside_

 _(Save me)_

 _Call my name and save me from the dark_

 _(Wake me up)_

 _Bid my blood to run_

 _(I can't wake up)_

 _Before I come undone_

 _(Save me)_

 _Save me from the nothing I've become_

"Well…goodnight, Rae." He darted in and gave her another fleeting peck on the lips. "I'll see you in the morning for breakfast. I'll make you some waffles." And then he spun and sauntered down the hallway, half dancing, as he sung a silly song he and Cyborg had created about waffles.

She stared after him until he disappeared back into the living room. Once he was out of sight, a smile flitted across her lips. She raised her hand to touch the spot where he'd kissed her. "Goodnight, Garfield," she whispered.

 _Bring me to life_

 _(I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)_

 _Bring me to life_


	3. Chapter 3: Relaxation

_Thanks again for the awesome feedback. I love it!_

 _As for the question of timeline, I'm doing a more "free" timeline (as seen with Trigon), as I have not seen the entire show. Again, newbie to the BBRae relationship, so I'm doing the best I can with the knowledge I have. I'm kind of mixing the Teen Titans and Titans Go personas, and using that more flexible timeline of Titans Go. I apologize! I just wanted to have a little fun with their relationship with the incongruent bits I've seen. I do intend to watch it though!_

 _This installment uses Never Be the Same by Camila Cabello. Hope you enjoy it!_

Raven couldn't explain the last few days even if she wanted to. Things had changed in such a major way. And yet they hadn't changed at all. It was such a disorienting, confusing thing. But she was secretly loving every moment of it.

None of the other Titans seemed aware of the flirting match that was happening between herself and Beast Boy. It was all just the usual to them. Only it wasn't the usual. There was hidden meaning behind their barbs and cheeky comments.

She's never been in on a secret like this before. It made her feel so...human. And it all stemmed from an unexpected event that happened three days ago.

Beast Boy had kissed her. He'd let her know he was into her and that he wasn't going to be scared off. He'd made his position known, and then he'd backed off—something she appreciated. He was giving her time to sort through what it all meant to her. He flirted, letting her know he was still there. But he hadn't tried to kiss her again. He was taking things slowly. It was allowing her time to become comfortable with the idea. Without that, she wasn't sure she would have been able to do this. The relationship thing.

He'd made the right move, because even though things were progressing slowly, she couldn't get him off her mind. Like now, when she had a book in her hands and was attempting to get in a little bit of light reading, she was thinking about him.

She entered the living room—hoping a new environment would help her concentrate better—to find the subject of her thoughts on the couch playing a video game. "You know those things will rot your brain, right?" she asked as she glided across the room to the couch.

He didn't look up from the television screen, but his lips curved into a grin. "I guess it's a good thing my brain is already rotten then."

Her lips softened into a slight smile that she allowed only because he wasn't looking. "Do you mind if I read here for a bit? It won't disturb you?"

"You could never disturb me, Rae."

She chose not to comment, though his statement caused an odd fluttering in her stomach. "Okay then." Not wanting to cross in front of him while he was playing—something she's learned over the years was an egregious offense—she sat down in the end seat. She leaned her book on the armrest and curled her feet up on cushions on the other side.

He shot her a quick glance of amusement. "You could sit next to me, you know."

Her cheeks heated at this. "Oh...well..."

"Don't worry. I got this." With one large heave, he hurled himself across the couch and plopped down nearly on top of her toes. All the while, his eyes never left the screen and his fingers continued to punch at the controller in his hands.

Her eyes bore into the pages of her book, but she couldn't concentrate on the words. She blinked a few times, trying to focus.

"Oh, look. You _do_ have feet."

And then he shot any chance of reading straight out of her mind when he scooped up her feet and placed them in his lap.

Her eyes widened. Her heart pounded as she stared at the unintelligible words in front of her.

Without turning her head, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He was back to playing his game as if hadn't just done the most relationship worthy thing she's ever been a part of. He was just so _casual_ about everything. Like it was no big deal.

"You gonna read that book, Rae?" he asked, amusement thick in his voice.

She glared at him, at his boldness to call her out. "I am. I'm just...taking my time. It's complicated material." She shot him one last dirty look before returning her gaze to the pages before her.

A few minutes passed, and as each one did, she relaxed a little bit more. Her muscles eased and she was able to actually read the words in front of her. He continued to play, wiggling and bouncing in his seat in time with his character on screen. She used to find this habit obnoxious. Now, she would guiltily admit—though if only to herself—she found it endearing. Either way, it was nice. He was doing what he always did. She was doing what she always did. But somehow, they were doing it together.

As she finished a page, she stopped to say, "This is nice."

"I know it is, Mamma."

 _Something must've gone wrong in my brain_

 _Got your chemical all in my veins_

 _Feeling all the highs, feeling all the pain_

"Hey, Beastie! Are you up for a video game binge session or what?"

The sound of Cyborg's voice from the doorway had Raven lunging up from the couch as if she'd just been caught robbing a bank. She fumbled with her book, nearly dropping it to the floor. She could feel the heat of embarrassment on her cheeks as she hoped against hope that he hadn't seen them curled up together. She was not ready for the other Titans to know about her relationship with Beast Boy when _she_ didn't even know what her relationship with him was yet.

"Are you okay, Raven?" Cyborg asked as he crossed the room to plop down next to Beast Boy, taking the seat she'd just vacated.

"I'm fine," she snapped. "You guys are just super annoying. I'm going to my room to read."

"What's her deal?" Cyborg asked as he powered up a second controller.

"She's just jealous of my mad skills," Beast Boy said just as she was exiting the room.

Raven rolled her eyes, but there was a small smile on her lips.

OOOOO

Robin stood in front of them, hands on hips and a serious expression on his face. Not that such a thing was anything new. He took his position of leader seriously and was always up for a good lecture.

They'd just thwarted another bank robbery and he was giving them a rundown of feedback. "Cyborg, your reaction time needs to get quicker. You were slow to back Raven up when that energy blast came her way."

Cyborg nodded, taking in the constructive criticism like a champ.

"Raven, communication is the key. No one knows what you're planning if you don't speak up."

"Meh." She made an unintelligible sound in the back of her throat and shrugged. This was always her feedback. Talk more. It was like Robin didn't know who he was lecturing at.

Robin turned to the next person in line. "Starfire…good job."

Raven rolled her eyes at this. They all knew Robin had a thing for Starfire, so offering her any form of criticism was a real struggle.

"Beast Boy," Robin said with an air of importance. "Direction. I told you to go right. You went left. You've got figure out right from left. In a fight it can be—"

Anger washed instantaneously over Raven at Robin's criticism, and she saw red flash before her eyes. She knew her outward appearance must have changed to them too, because black energy swirled around her. "He knows his left from his right," snarled in annoyance. "He's not stupid. It just gets confusing in the heat of the moment."

The moment the words were out of her mouth, she froze. Embarrassment swept over her in a wave, and a surprised silence fell over the room. _Why was she defending him?!_ He didn't need her help with this! Her reaction had come so quickly she hadn't gotten a chance to reign it in.

Robin gave a nervous chuckle and ran a hand along the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Raven. I wasn't implying Beast Boy wasn't intelligent. I just—"

"It's fine, Rob," Beast Boy said, waving off his apology. "We're cool. Sometimes I do get confused between my right and my left."

 _Let go on the wheel, it's the bullet lane_

 _Now I'm seeing red, not thinking straight_

 _Blurring all the lines, you intoxicate me_

"Sorry, Robin," she mumbled. Obviously, there was still a lot of figuring out for her to do. She could not jump to Beast Boy's defense all of a sudden just because he'd kissed her. She was not that type of girl. And, honestly, he could turn into a giant green gorilla and beat the tar out of Robin if he felt that insulted. He didn't need her input. "I…If that's all, I'm going to get a start on dinner. I'll cook tonight. My treat. I'll just go see what we have in the pantry."

With that, she darted away and slipped out of the room. Once in the hallway, she paused to take a deep breath. She was letting Beast Boy get under her skin in a way she hadn't anticipated. She needed to pull herself together. If this was going to work at all, she needed to separate Titans business from relationship stuff.

Heading into the pantry, she eyed the shelves, looking for something to make for dinner, as it now seemed she was locked into cooking for everyone. She found herself seeking out vegetarian options and chastised herself. She enjoyed a good burger as much as the next person. She was so not going there with her thoughts.

A noise sounded behind her and she turned to find Beast Boy in the doorway. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he leaned against the wall with a foot crossed over the other. A smirk danced at his lips. "What was that, Rae?"

"My name is Raven," she said irritably as she made a show of being busy.

"Okay, _Raven_ ," he said, stressing her name. "What was that?"

"What was what?" she asked, shoving a box of pasta out of the way. "Robin was getting on my nerves. It's not the first time I've lashed out at him. Nor will it be the last."

He chuckled and pushed away from the wall to join her in front of the shelf she stood before. "And here I was thinking you were defending me because you're sweet on me. I'm kind of bummed out to find out I was wrong."

"Sorry to disappoint," she said nonchalantly…or at least what she hoped sounded nonchalant. She pointedly riffled around on the shelf, hoping he would go away.

"Are you sure I'm wrong? Because it seems like you're struggling to deal with all the feels you gots for me."

"Beast Boy!" She spun on him in aggravation. And it was only then that she realized how close he was, that they were alone in a nearly dark pantry. The door had slowly inched closed behind him, as it tended to do, until it was nearly shut. Only a sliver of light shined in. They really needed to fix that door.

Her breath caught in her throat and she simply stared up at him, unable to form a believable defense with him standing this close. Because he was right. She was having trouble dealing with "all the feels" as he put it. She longed for his affection. Yet at the same time, it terrified her.

 _Just like nicotine, heroin, morphine_

 _Suddenly, I'm a fiend and you're all I need_

 _All I need, yeah, you're all I need_

He took a step closer, and she took one backward. Her spine bumped against the shelf behind her. She had nowhere to run. At least not without bolting for the door like a crazy person.

He lifted his arms and pressed his palms against the edge of the shelf, effectively trapping her in.

 _It's you, babe_

 _And I'm a sucker for the way that you move, babe_

 _And I could try to run, but it would be useless_

 _You're to blame_

 _Just one hit of you, I knew I'll never be the same_

She could feel his breath on her face, and she feared he was close enough to hear the frantic beating of her heart. The memory of the kiss they'd shared a few days ago raced through her mind. She licked her lips, her eyes nervously lifting to his. "Are…are you going to kiss me again?" She mentally kicked herself for asking such a question. _Why had she asked that?_

His mouth lowered, his lips so close to hers all it would take was a large exhale to brush them together. "No, Rae Rae. I'm not." He suddenly reached up to a box next to her head and pulled it down off the shelf. "I just wanted this pasta."

Her body was on high alert, screaming all sorts of conflicting advice and warnings at her. But his comment took her by surprise. She blinked at him, confused. Then she understood he was toying with her. Her eyes narrowed into a glare and her mouth opened to say something less than nice, perhaps a curse of some sort.

He spoke first though. "I want to kiss you again." He smirked at this and shrugged his shoulders at his admission. "But I know you don't like to feel pressured about things. So I'm waiting for you to kiss me."

She gaped at him, her jaw gaping slightly. "You…you what?"

"I'm waiting for _you_ to kiss _me_." He winked at her, his expression playful. "I want to make sure you're good and ready. I don't want to steal smooches from you. I want you to feel the desire to give them to me." He lifted an arm and teasingly made a muscle. "I figure you won't be able to resist long. And when you do give in, it will be magical."

She let out a light laugh, unable to help herself. "You're insane." She knew their banter might seem odd to anyone else, but to her it just felt right. She had a hard time feeling comfortable around others. His goofy nature made it easier for her to relax, for her to be herself. It brought balance to their relationship. The only way this was going to work was if he understood what type of person she was, if he was patient with her. He was proving once again he was probably the only person in the world able to interact with her on a more intimate level without unrealistic expectations. Nor was he shying away from her darker nature. He understood her in a way no one else did.

"Only about you, Rae," he said in response to her comment of him being insane. "Which is why I am perfectly capable of doing this on your terms. Good things come to he who waits, right?"

She shook her head in amusement and pushed away from the shelf. "I keep letting you get me alone in dark places and who knows what might happen."

"I like the sound of that." He led the way out of the pantry, nudging the door open with his toe. "Just remember, my lips are good and ready when yours are."

She smiled almost shyly as she closed the door behind them. "I'll keep that in mind." In fact, she was pretty sure it was all she was going to think about now.

 _It's you, babe_

 _And I'm a sucker for the way that you move, babe_

 _And I could try to run, but it would be useless_

 _You're to blame_

 _Just one hit of you, I knew I'll never be the same_

 _I'll never be the same_

 _I'll never be the same_

 _I'll never be the same_

OOOOO

Robin stood in front of the group, arms behind his back. He assessed them for a moment in silence before speaking. "I received a call this morning from a museum curator in Los Angeles. It seems they accidentally procured a cursed staff when looking for pieces for a new exhibit." His eyes zoned in on Beast Boy. "By happy coincidence, he knew Beast Boy's parents. They'd sent the museum pieces from their travels." He shot Beast Boy an apologetic look for bringing up the past. "He asked for you personally. It's the entire reason he reached out to the Titans to take care of the matter. Do you think you can get the staff and bring it back to the Tower for us to study?"

Beast Boy bobbed his head. "Sure thing, Robin. Evil stick. Dark energy. Possible possession. I got this, bro," he said with a little salute.

"Good point," Robin said seriously. "Take Raven with you. If you run into any trouble, she should be able to help out with the dark magic stuff."

Raven's eyes flicked swiftly to Beast Boy and widened ever so slightly. A mission with just the two of them.

"Take the T-Car," Robin said. Then with a wave of his hand, he added, "Dismissed."

The others walked away, leaving Beast Boy and Raven to themselves.

"So…" she said. "Road trip, huh?"

He grinned. "Road trip."

OOOOO

They should have returned to the Tower after retrieving the staff from the museum curator. But it had been a long drive, and they were both hungry. They'd ordered some drive-thru garbage and driven to a nearby park. Beast Boy had found an old blanket in the trunk of the car and laid it out in the grass under a tree.

There was a streetlamp along the path not far off, and it lent them enough light in the dimming evening to see by. With the staff lying at the edge of the blanket, they munched on stale fruit and fattening french fries.

"Sorry they didn't have anything better," Raven apologized. One never noticed the lack of vegetarian choices at restaurants until they were actually looking for them.

Beast Boy shrugged. "I'm used to it. Besides, I'm more about the company than the food."

She blushed, looking down at the fry in her hand as if it was suddenly very interesting.

He offered a little sigh and reclined back on his elbows. "You know…you don't have to act so worried all the time. I told you I'm not going to push this. I want you to be sure it's what you want."

"It is!" She was quick to assure him of this. She didn't want him to think she wasn't interested in him. That wasn't it at all. "I just…" She shrugged. "I don't know how to do this."

"Sure you do." He raised an eyebrow. "We've eaten dinner together loads of times. This isn't any different. We're still friends, Raven. That doesn't have to chance just because I kissed you."

She smiled lightly at his wisdom and nodded. He might not know right from left all the time, but he knew this easily. "Thanks." He was right, after all. They'd been alone together before the kiss and managed just fine. She didn't need to put so much pressure on things. He wasn't.

She felt her shoulders relax, and she popped a slice of strawberry into her mouth. As she chewed, she surveyed their surroundings. They were in a park at twilight. Having a picnic. Just the two of them. He might say this was like any other dinner, but it held a different quality than any other they'd shared together.

"On the other hand," he said with a teasing note to his voice, "I was hoping without the other Titans around you'd let your guard down a bit, stop playing things so safe. I kinda want to see you lose control." He waggled his eyebrows. "Finally give in to my devilish charm."

She returned her gaze to him instead of the surrounding scenery. _Ah, what the hell. Why not?_ Before she could second-guess herself, she leaned over and kissed him.

He didn't move at first, other than to return the kiss. He stayed reclined where he was, allowing her to set the parameters of their interaction.

Raven stayed balanced with her face over his, her hands pressed flat to the blanket as she leaned over him. All that touched were their lips, but that was enough to send sparks tingling down her spine. She kissed him gently, slowly, as allowed herself to become accustomed to the sensation. It was…nice. That was for sure.

She leaned a little closer and the lightbulb of the streetlamp near the path suddenly shattered, throwing them into darkness. "Guess my powers are working better," she said with a little laugh as she lifted her head to look at the damage she'd done while letting her emotions run wild. She knew instantly she was correct, as her body felt as if it was buzzing with power. Maybe it was because she'd finally made up her mind on what she wanted. She had him to thank for that. His insistence that she make the next move had helped solidify her thoughts. It made her commit to the choice, made the moment all the more special.

 _Sneaking in LA when the lights are low_

 _Off of one touch I could overdose_

 _You said, "stop playing it safe, girl, I wanna see you lose control"_

He lifted a hand up to cup the back of her head, his fingers trailing through her hair.

Streetlamp forgotten, she lowered herself to her elbow next to him and kissed him again. This kiss was deeper, less tentative. She pressed her lips firmly to his and leaned in against his side. He felt warm and comfortable, like this was exactly where she was meant to be.

His fingers raked lightly through her hair as his mouth moved under hers, responding with as much vigor as she gave him.

 _Just like nicotine, heroin, morphine_

 _Suddenly, I'm a fiend and you're all I need_

 _All I need, yeah, you're all I need_

Raven never wanted to leave this blanket. She could have stayed here kissing him all night. But out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glow. It was getting brighter and brighter every moment, to the point that it became a distraction. Pulling back, she frowned, "What's that?"

"Who cares?" he asked, tugging lightly at the clasp of her cape to pull her back toward him. His lips went for hers again, but she turned her face in the direction of the glowing light, so he got her cheek instead.

"I'm serious, Gar."

He groaned, but he followed her gaze to the glowing object—the staff. "Whoa…looks like cursed is about right. Wonder what it's doing."

"I don't know," she said with concern, "but it isn't good." She sat up and pulled her hood protectively back over her head as the staff began to shake and wobble on the blanket. Her eyes lifted to the sky and she sighed. "Full moon. I noticed moon cycle etchings on the handle, but I didn't give it much thought. I guess it's a good thing the curator didn't wait an extra day to call us." As they watched, a flash lit up the night and then something seemed to teleport from inside the staff.

Raven's jaw dropped as a colossal, monstrous beast stood at the edge of their blanket. "Giant rock monster. Great," she drawled. She glanced at Beast Boy. "We doing this?"

He grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Oh, yeah, mamma. We're doing this." With a roar, he transformed into a giant green gorilla and charged across the grass at the craggy monster before them.

His smile was infectious and she responded with one of her own. Oh yeah. They were doing this. Levitating upward, she summoned a mass of black soul energy and flung it at the monster, being careful not to hit Beast Boy.

The monster went stumbling backward. It gave a roar of frustration and swung a massive arm in her direction. It hit her in the midsection and sent her cartwheeling through the air. She hit the base of the tree with a groan, but was quick to recover.

As she lifted one of her soul-hands into the air, Beast Boy was sent flying past her with an almost comical holler. Using her magical fist, she slammed it down onto the monster over and over again, revenge for his assault on the gorilla.

When she relented, Beast Boy was back up. He dove in, slamming massive, green, and hairy fists into the rock creature.

It howled in frustration at the onslaught and batted him away. Bending down, it ripped a large chunk out of the ground and threw it in her direction.

She turned and managed to dodge most of it, but a large chunk of packed dirt slammed into her shoulder. She gave a grunt of pain but managed to stay on her feet.

"Hey!" Beast Boy yelled out. "Don't throw stuff at my woman!"

Her body reacted automatically to the hit and she felt her eyes go red. Dark energy built inside of her, begging to be released. Levitating a little higher, she used her magic to mirror the monster's actions. She lifted her own mound of dirt and chucked it in his direction. It hit him in the back of the head, distracting him.

Beast Boy took this opportunity to hit him with a vicious uppercut.

She moved in, and the two of them worked together, raining blow after blow on the monster. It took a bit of work, but they finally got it to its knees. She blasted it from behind, while with an animalistic roar, Beast Boy made the final blow. The creature fell to the ground and remained still.

Opening a portal, she banished the creature to another, less pleasant dimension. When he woke, he was going to have a heck of a headache. And while he was disoriented and trapped, it would give Robin a chance to figure out a way to break the creature's connection to the staff before the next full moon.

Breathing heavily, she wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead. Her wrist came away with a streak of dirt.

Beast Boy transformed back into his usual form. He was also dirty and a bit worse for wear. But he wore a grin. "Now that's what I call a first date."

 _It's you, babe_

 _And I'm a sucker for the way that you move, babe_

 _And I could try to run, but it would be useless_

 _You're to blame_

 _Just one hit of you, I knew I'll never ever, ever be the same_

 _I'll never be the same_

 _I'll never be the same_

 _I'll never be the same_

Raven laughed lightly, something only he seemed to be able to make her do. Since when had she been the laughing type? "Yeah, as date's go that was pretty…cool."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "If we keep doing this dating thing, I promise to keep it interesting. Monster attacks and evil villains around every corner." He lifted a finger and wiped a smudge of dirt off of her cheek. "So what do you say? Do I get a second date?"

They were both a mess. Dirt streaked the side of his face, and his shirt was torn in more than a few places. Even so, she was fairly certain he'd never looked so cute before. Smiling, she leaned in against his chest and lifted her face to his for a lingering kiss. "I'll let you know."

 _You're in my blood, you're in my veins, you're in my head (I blame)_

 _You're in my blood, you're in my veins, you're in my head_

"I'll take what I can get. Come on. Let's get back to the Tower. Robin's probably losing his mind waiting for us to give him this." He lifted the staff and twirled in in his hand free hand. With his arm draped over her shoulder, he led her back to the car.

Over her shoulder, Raven teleported the ruins of their picnic to a nearby trash can before climbing inside the car. As she settled into her seat, Beast Boy started up the engine. Then he reached a hand out to her.

With a little smile, she took it, lacing their fingers together.

 _I'm saying it's you, babe_

 _And I'm a sucker for the way that you move, babe_

 _And I could try to run, but it would be useless_

 _You're to blame (you're to blame)_

 _Just one hit of you, I knew I'll never be the same_

OOOOO

Back at the Tower, Raven glided tiredly to the kitchen table and plopped the staff down into its center. It had been an extremely long day and was now the wee hours of the next morning. All she wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep the next ten hours away.

As she turned to make her way down the hallway, Beast Boy's voice halted her. "The rest of the Titans are asleep, you know."

She paused, glancing at him over her shoulder. "Yeah. So?"

"So…" He tilted his head to the side and offered her a smile. "If you wanted to sneak into my room for some Beasty Boo cuddles, no one would ever have to know." He waggled his eyebrows at her. "Come on, Rae. It was nice, that night at the cabin. We could do that again. No one would have to find out. You could phase through the wall back into your own room in the morning."

She opened her mouth to protest, but then changed her mind. "Yeah, okay." At his giddy little dance, she smirked and shook her head. "But we're not staying in your room. That place is a pig sty." She waggled her finger for him to follow her as she made her way down the hallway and headed into her room. "But no one can find out about this. You leave in the morning and you don't go bragging to the guys about me letting you in here."

"Deal, mamma."

He stretched his arms over his head with a yawn, then fell backward into her bed.

An annoyed comment about his dirty state nearly escaped her, but she was too tired to fight it. Kicking off her shoes, she dropped to the mattress next to him and curled up.

His arm snaked around her waist and before she could overthink it, she nuzzled in against his chest. "Goodnight, Gar."

"Goodnight, Raven."

 _It's you, babe_

 _And I'm a sucker for the way that you move, babe_

 _And I could try to run, but it would be useless_

 _You're to blame_

 _Just one hit of you, I knew I'll never ever, ever be the same_

She allowed herself to relax, to be enveloped in his embrace. It was not something she'd ever thought she'd do with someone else, but she was glad he'd broken down her walls. As Robin had said, everything was about balance, and right now, the scales were perfect.


	4. Chapter 4: Faith

_This installment, I am using Put Your Money On Me by The Struts. It just gave me a Beast Boy vibe with its laid back tone. I had to use it._

 _Thanks for all of the fun feedback! I love it! It keeps me going!_

Garfield awoke slowly, groggily, to find himself in a room that wasn't his own. It took his tired brain a moment to recall the events of the night before. When it did, a lazy smile crept over his lips. He'd asked Raven for some snuggle time, and to his complete surprise, she'd agreed. He'd spent the night in her bed with her enticing scent tickling his nostrils and her warm body nuzzled in against his.

He was still having trouble believing all of this was real. He'd had a crush on Rae since…well, forever. He'd never thought she would ever go for a guy like him, so he'd flirted, but without much real intent. But then the night at the safehouse cabin happened, and it sort of changed everything.

He gave a little yawn and stretched his arms above his head. As he did, Raven popped up next to him in the bed with a horrified gasp.

"What time is it?" she asked in alarm.

He lifted his wrist to glance at his communicator. "Looks like it's nearly noon."

" _Nearly noon_?"

He heard the near panic in her voice and turned his eyes lazily in her direction. "We were out all night recovering that cursed staff. You're allowed a morning off, Rae."

She shook her head in negation and tossed her comforter back, stumbling clumsily out of bed. "No. No, I don't take mornings off. Ever. I'm supposed to meditate in the mornings, help calm myself down before I face everyone else."

"You seemed to find kissing me very soothing," he said, waggling his brows. "We could always try that again."

Raven shot him a look of annoyance. Then with a wave of her hand, she opened a portal and dropped him back into his own bedroom.

He hit the floor with a little grunt and stumbled to his feet as the portal above his head closed. "I'll take that as a no, then." Rubbing absentmindedly at his chest where he'd fallen, he moved across his bedroom to gather his shower supplies. He should probably wash the rock monster remains off of himself before making an appearance. Last night, he and Raven had been so exhausted, they'd fallen into bed and gone right to sleep. This morning…well, he didn't really have an excuse to still smell like concrete dust and dirt.

He took a leisurely shower, soaking in the heat. As he scrubbed, his thoughts went to the complicated relationship that seemed to be developing between himself and the half-demon Titan. He knew the others might look at them and wonder what they could possibly see in each other. Things were new, and he honestly worried Raven might wake up one morning and ask herself the same question. He knew they were different, very different, but those differences seemed to work. He was loud and boisterous, and if he was being honest, a little bit annoying. He liked being the center of attention and getting a laugh. Raven was silent and serious and more than a little scary at times. One might think it would never work between them, but he had faith.

Raven seemed to enjoy watching him make a spectacle of himself. She might never join in, but he was fairly convinced she found him amusing. And her? Well, that whole mysteriously sexy vibe was working for him. Big time. As did her serious side, because it made him work all the harder to make her smile. They were few and far between, but when she did… It melted him. It scorched him from the inside out. _That_ was how he knew it worked. She got reactions out of him that had blindsided him at first. There was being attracted to someone, and then there was feeling as if the force of a tornado had slammed into his chest. Raven always hit him like a tornado of desire. Not that he would ever dream of admitting as much to her.

Despite how well things worked between them, it was still give and take. He knew it wasn't easy for her. He knew emotions were always hard for her to deal with, so he was trying to keep her from feeling pressured. He as taking things slow. Even with his caution, there were times he saw the panic in her eyes or felt the tension in her shoulders. She totally dug him, but keeping her from freaking out and running was his concern. He just needed to instill a bit of trust, a bit of faith. He might not be smart like her. He might not be serious or care for reading anything more complex than a graphic novel, but that didn't mean he wasn't right for her. Now all he had to do was make sure she continued to realize that. It was pretty much his life goal at this point.

Strolling out to the kitchen, he found her already at the table, nursing a mug of tea. She was sitting ramrod straight in her chair, eyes alert and serious as Robin grilled her about the cursed staff that sat on the kitchen table in front of her.

Not wanting to interrupt, as Raven would mostly likely convey the information better anyway, he made his way across the room for some breakfast. He popped two slices of bread into the toaster and turned to lean his back against the counter as he watched the two at the table.

As Robin asked another question, Garfield gave Raven a saucy wink behind their leader's back, unable to help himself. Her answering blush brought a chuckle from his throat that he covered up with a small cough.

Taking pity on her, he crossed his arms over his chest and simply listened as she relayed the fight of the night before to Robin. He noticed she left out the bits about their heated kissing. Not that he blamed her. Poor Rae was obviously struggling to figure things out internally. He knew she wasn't ready for the other Titans to find out about them, and he was perfectly fine with that. He didn't mind being her secret. Whatever kept her coming back to his arms.

His mind began to wander at that thought, going back to their picnic dinner. When Raven had kissed him. His lips tugged at the memory. He relished the mental image of the way she'd leaned over him, capturing his lips with hers. He hadn't moved at first, giving her a moment to decide their pacing, but he hadn't needed to. She'd taken control and the moment had been…absolutely perfect.

"Beast Boy."

The sound of his name whispered from her lips sent a shiver down his spine.

"Beast Boy."

His eyes were closed as he relived the memory in his mind, the soft touch of her lips on his.

"Beast Boy!"

His eyes jolted open and he found himself surrounded by a cloud of smoke. His toast had been left to sit in the toaster-with its busted time sensor—until it burnt black. Smoke was pooling in the air around him, curling up around his head. He'd been so lost in the memory of his making out session with Raven, he'd completely zoned out.

He gave a high-pitched cry of alarm and yanked the toaster's plug from the wall. As he did, an alarm sounded from the other room. It would appear crime was afoot.

Robin raced from the room to answer the emergency call.

While he was gone, Garfield grabbed a fork and attempted to pry the burnt bread from the toaster. He hadn't even gotten the first piece free before Robin was rushing back into the kitchen.

"Trouble in Jump City. Get ready. Now. Everyone at the door in less than five."

"But my breakfast," Garfield whined.

"Beast Boy!" This was yelled by both Raven and Robin.

Knowing he'd been overruled, he shoved the smoking toaster into the empty sink to deal with later. "All right. All right. I'll just have smoke for breakfast."

 _It's true, baby, I sleep 'til noon for breakfast_

 _I have a little smoke then I get up and go_

He made his way to the door and stood with his arms crossed, waiting.

Robin came sprinting around the corner, took one look at him, and let out a frustrated growl. "Beast Boy! Get dressed!"

He looked down at himself and gave a little chuckle. "Oh yeah." He was in a t-shirt and sweatpants. Not exactly crime fighting attire. With a little salute, he turned and headed toward his room.

"Run!"

Robin's demand had him jogging down the hallway. As he went, he tugged his shirt up over his head, knowing he had to hurry. Pissing Robin off would result in extra training assignments or household chores. Neither of which he desired. He was nearly to his room when Raven's door opened with a whoosh and she came hurrying out.

She ground to a halt as they nearly collided, gaping in surprise at his shirtless form. Her lips worked, but no sound came out.

He winked, unable to keep from teasing her when it was so obvious catching him half undressed had rattled her. "I know. Me topless is a lot to take in."

Her gaze lifted from his chest to glare into his eyes. "Stop messing around. We've got a job to do." And with that, she was disappearing down the hallway.

Rolling his eyes, he scurried into his room and grabbed his Titans uniform. Chucking his sweats to the side, he struggled into the bottom half of the uniform and ran back out into the hallway. He dressed as he went, tugging it up over his arms. He was still zipping up the front when he reached the doorway.

The rest of the Titans stood impatiently waiting, their judgmental gazes boring into him. Robin was tapping his foot with frustration.

 _And yes I'm always two hours late for work, babe_

 _It's hard being a slave to your body and soul_

"I'm here," he said breathlessly. "I'm ready."

Robin shot him one last look of disapproval before walking briskly out the door. Everyone followed, listening intently as he explained the situation. "Looks like we've got a giant man-controlled robot tearing up part of the main strip of town."

"Motives?" Cyborg asked, falling in step beside Robin.

Robin closed his eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose. With a little sigh, he released his hand and looked to the group. "Apparently the sandwich shop on the main drag stopped carrying our villain's favorite sub. When they refused to put it back on the menu, he stole some state-of-the-art robotics technology from a local research and development company. Now he's waging war on the sandwich shop."

"That is the crazy, Robin," Starfire said in awe.

"Yeah," their leader responded dryly. "The crazy." He turned Raven and waved a hand. "Would you do the honors?"

Raven nodded. Circling her hand in a wide arc in the air, she opened a large portal. "After you."

Robin hurtled into the portal without needing to be told twice. Starfire flew in behind him, fist outreaching and ready for anything she might face on the other side. Cyborg activated his arm cannon before jumping through.

Raven turned expectantly to him, but Garfield dithered. "What should I turn into?" he asked curiously. He tapped his chin thoughtfully as he went over options in his head. "Dinosaur? I'd be tall. Or a gorilla? I'd be able to move easier. Either one is a pretty cool option. Or—"

Robin's head popped back through the portal. "Beast Boy! Let's go!"

 _You know I'm only bragging_

 _Boss is always nagging_

 _My ass is dragging but they don't know_

"All right! All right!" He jumped through the portal without transforming. He'd figure it out once he got to the other side.

An instant later, Raven was through, closing the portal behind her.

"Okay, gang," Robin said. "Are we ready?"

"I dunno," Beast Boy chimed in, causing Robin to flinch. Apparently, he hadn't been expecting an answer other than confirmation. "Give me a second to think up a good one liner. All the best super heroes have witty comments for the villains when they take them down."

Robin shot him a dark look before yelling, "Titans, go!"

The others took off.

Raven gave him a quick glance out of the corner of her eye before following after them.

Beast Boy watched her go with an affection smile before making up his mind and turning himself into a wolf—fast, agile, fierce. He was racing after them, his padded paws slapping at the pavement as he went.

 _You think I've kinda messed around_

 _But I'll never let you down_

 _So have some faith I'm sticking around_

 _Sticking around!_

He darted between the robot's feet, looking for a weakness. The man controlling it was inside, seated up high behind an observation glass with panels of buttons before him. If he could get up there… He leapt upward, using the robot's knee to launch himself up toward its back.

Before he could reach it, one of the machine's massive arms grabbed him around the middle and tossed him outward.

Garfield slammed into Raven, who was hovering in mid-air with glowing red eyes, and the two of them went sailing backward into the wreckage of the sandwich shop. They hit the ground hard in a whirlwind of dust and plaster.

"Ouch," she complained when they came to a rolling stop. But she was up in the air again in an instant.

"Wait!" Garfield transformed back into his usual form and grabbed her wrist, halting her from taking off.

"What?" she asked with impatience and more than a little annoyance.

He nodded toward the machine that Cyborg was now blasting with his cannon. "If I can get up there, I think I can get the glass open. I can get the guy out without destroying the stolen equipment."

Raven's eyes widened in surprise. "That's…really smart."

He grinned and shrugged a shoulder. "I'm not just a pretty face."

She rolled her eyes at this but smiled. She motioned to go, but he tugged on her wrist again. "And, Rae?"

She glanced back over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

"You look hot in that outfit."

A blush touched her cheeks. "This is the same outfit I wear for every battle."

"I know. And it's always hot."

Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment as she ducked back in his direction. Cupping his face, she pressed her lips firmly to his.

He savored the feeling of her lips on his. She tasted of plater and dirt, but underneath all that was his Raven.

"You drive me insane," she whispered, touching her forehead to his. "But somehow I keep putting my faith in you." She pulled back slightly, her eyes serious. "Let's do this. Your plan better work."

His hand lingered on her hip and he indulged in one of the intimate moments she very rarely gave. But when she did let Passion occasionally peek out, it was worth it.

 _I bet your body's so sweet (oh yeah)_

 _So roll your dice with my feet (oh yeah)_

 _Well when and where our eyes meet (oh yeah)_

 _You've got that hand I can't beat (oh yeah)_

 _So put your money on me_

 _Put your money on me_

 _So put your money on me_

 _Put your money on me_

Offering her a lopsided grin, he took off across the pavement toward the robot. Out of his peripherals, he saw Raven zooming in the air above him, ready to execute their plan.

He raced around the robot, darting in and out, distracting him.

As he did, Raven shot blast after blast of dark energy the machine's way, the two of them double-teaming the man inside with an assault he couldn't keep up with. The robot spun in a circle, trying to keep Beast Boy in its sites while avoiding the blasts from Raven.

Robin jumped in, whacking his fighting stick into the robot's legs, keeping the man from recovering. The others joined in the assault, but Garfield couldn't help but notice he and Raven were undeniably in synch. She went left; he went right. She went high; he went low. They kept opposite of each other, moving in tandem to keep the man from focusing too closely on either of them. The others joining in with their more random attacks only added to the confusion for the machine-suited man.

Garfield saw a look of disorientation on the man's face. His gaze snapped to Raven. "Raven! Now!" He sprinted forward toward the robot.

From his left, Raven opened a portal directly in front of him. He lunged through. For half an instant, he was airborne. Then he dropped directly onto the robot's back.

His eyes scoured frantically over the robot's observation hood. If he couldn't find a latch, they were screwed.

Thankfully, he located one on his second sweep and reached for it. Locked. From the inside. Taking a deep breath, he transformed into a gorilla and reached for the latch again. He would break it open if he had to.

The man in the suit seemed to realize what was about to happen, and he swept one of the robotic arms in Beast Boy's direction.

Garfield saw it coming, but there was no way to avoid it and pop the latch. He hunched his shoulders, awaiting the blow…but it never came. As he yanked the latch free and popped open the glass dome, he saw one of Raven's black fists of magic restraining the robotic arm. It had been mere feet from smashing into him.

He grinned as he leapt inside the control compartment of the machine. All it took was one punch to the jaw and their villain was slumping in his seat. "See," he said to no one in particular. "That was the perfect opportunity for a good one liner."

It took him a bit of fumbling and a few curses, but he managed to get the robot powered down and harmless. Satisfied, he hefted the man up onto his shoulder and, using his gorilla feet to help him grip the metal, climbed down the stories tall robot.

As soon as his feet hit the ground, he dropped the man to the sidewalk and transformed back into himself.

Robin began barking out orders, calling in local law enforcement officers to arrest the man at their feet. All the while, Garfield stared at Raven. He tried not to be obvious, but his eyes bore into hers.

 _I know I've got a bad bad reputation_

 _I'm not afraid to look a girl right in the eye_

 _And so I'll tell you for your information_

 _Just know I'm not that kind of guy_

Intensity crackled between them. The teamwork they'd just exhibited… It didn't matter that he was known for being a goof up. Or that she was just as serious as he was silly. They worked well together. In every aspect of their lives.

She looked away first, her expression giving nothing away. Not that he expected it to. She was much better at hiding her emotions than he was. Didn't mean she wasn't feeling them though. He was getting a crash course in the emotions of Raven lately, and that look had said more than a thousand words.

 _Let's start a revolution_

 _This ain't no illusion_

 _Your disillusion will turn me around_

Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he turned in their direction, distracted from his thoughts.

Before him stood a blonde-haired girl of about seventeen. Her loose curls were bouncy, her smile wide. She blinked shyly at him. "Mr. Beast Boy, can I get an autograph?"

Nodding, he took the offered pen and paper she held out to him.

She giggled flirtatiously, batting her lashes at him. A year ago, she was just the type of girl he could have envisioned himself with. Now…not so much.

"What's your name?" he asked with a lopsided, friendly smile.

"Mary Beth."

"That's pretty," he said as he scrawled his name in his sloppy handwriting across the paper. Pretty, but it wasn't Raven.

"You think?" she asked with another wide grin.

"Sure do!" He handed the paper back to her and she bit her bottom lip, seeming to drag up courage for her next question. "Can I feel your muscle?"

" _My muscle_?" he asked in surprise.

She nodded. "Yeah. You're so strong. The way you took down that robot." She giggled again. "I want to feel for myself how strong you are."

He shrugged at the off the wall request, made a muscle, and held it out to her. Out of the Titans, he was probably the least muscled. Robin was always working out to make up for his lack of super powers, and Cyborg was a big dude. Beast Boy was the tiny one, something he'd always been perfectly fine with. Heck, Starfire probably had bigger muscles than him.

As Mary Beth reached out to stroke his green bicep, Garfield's gaze swept to Raven. She wasn't looking in his direction, but there was a scowl on her face that made him suddenly realize how this must look.

 _So yeah I like to flirt, girl_

 _Don't forget that you're my world_

 _So keep the faith I'm sticking around_

 _Sticking around!_

His eyes swept over her, over the seductive curves of her hips, the firmed muscles of her calves, the subtle swell of her breasts. No one could rock a bodysuit like his Raven.

Was she though? Was she _his_ Raven? It was starting to feel like it. He couldn't stand being away from her. She made his heart beat wildly in his chest. All he had to do was make sure she was fully aware of that.

 _I bet your body's so sweet (oh yeah)_

 _So roll your dice with my feet (oh yeah)_

 _Well when and where our eyes meet (oh yeah)_

 _You've got that hand I can't beat (oh yeah)_

 _So put your money on me_

 _Put your money on me_

 _So put your money on me_

 _Put your money on me_

His eyes never leaving Raven, he mumbled, "Excuse me." He walked away from Mary Beth without a glance back, despite her cry of protest. Once he reached Raven's side, he reached out to tap her lightly on the shoulder. "We should go back and check out that thing we saw in the shop. Make sure it isn't anything."

She turned to him with confusion in her eyes. "What thing?"

"That thing." With a little sigh, he darted in and whispered in her ear. "I need to kiss you. Right now."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Right now?"

 _I wanna do it_

 _I wanna do it now_

On his nod, she stared at him for a moment, assessing him. Then she bobbed her head as if just remembering something. "Yes. That thing. I do remember now."

"Do you need the help?" Starfire asked from a few feet away.

"No!" Both of them shouted it in unison.

It was Raven who softened their intense response. "It was probably nothing. We'll just check it out really quick. If we need your help, we'll call."

Starfire nodded and the two of them headed in the direction of the sandwich shop debris. Garfield carefully climbed through a hole in the wall and turned to face Raven as she phased through the wall and came to a stop just in front of him.

"Why was this so urgent?" she asked a little petulantly. "It's not like you don't have plenty of opportunities—"

The rest of her sentence was drowned out by his hauling her up against his chest and kissing her senseless.

She gave a squeak of protest that lasted half a second before she was wrapping her pale arms around his neck. Her nails curled into his hair as she pressed her body fully to his.

He backed her up into the crumbling wall, not caring that ground brick clung to her hair. She had one foot braced against the wall for support, and it curved her knee up around his hip. He sank into her, cocooning himself in her feminine curves while he kissed her. They remained that way for a long while, their mouths leisurely caressing together.

When he finally pulled back, she let her arms slip from around his neck, trailing along his ears, down his jawline, until she cupped his cheeks. "What was that for?"

He winced, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "That girl…"

Raven rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You are so weird." With one last gentle kiss, she nudged him back and exited the building.

He took a moment to collect himself. Then he climbed from the hole and followed her back over to the group. He reached everyone in time to hear her address Starfire.

"It was nothing. Just a waste of time." Her voice sounded disgruntled and so like Raven. If he hadn't known better, he would have believed her truly annoyed at him.

Robin nodded. "Titans, let's regroup at the Tower."

OOOOO

Robin stood in front of the group, giving them their usual feedback. "Cyborg," he said, straightening to his full height, "watch out for civilians. You nearly blasted that speed walker." He turned to Starfire. "Star, too much chitchat. You've got to keep it to a minimum or it gets distracting. Raven—"

 _Communication is the key_ , Garfield thought silently. It was always the same advice for her. Talk more. Boy oh boy was Robin barking up the wrong tree.

"Beast Boy—"

Garfield looked up, surprised to be addressed in Raven's feedback.

"I don't know what you two have been doing lately, but it's working. That was the most amazing bit of teamwork I've ever seen. I'm really impressed."

Garfield gaped at him. Had Robin ever complimented them in his feedback? It was usually constructive criticism that they all understood and appreciated. It helped them get better.

And his timing for a compliment…

Garfield felt his face heating up. Keep doing what were they doing? Sneaking off and groping each other. Robin had no idea what he'd just encouraged them to do.

Unaware of the effect his comment had, Robin continued. "Though I wonder if your recent success was due to me pairing the two of you up for that LA mission." He snapped his fingers, liking any idea that gave himself credit. "Surely it was." He set them both in his sights. "I would like you two to continue training together. I think there could be real benefits to it."

"Can do, Robin."

Garfield glanced out of the corner of his eye at Raven's almost enthusiastic response. It had his lip quirking in amusement. Oh, he definitely wouldn't mind some approved one on one training with a certain half demon.

Robin nodded. "Dismissed."

Everyone climbed from their seats to head off to their different activities. Cyborg headed to the garage to work on his car. Robin and Starfire headed toward the living room to catch up on a television show they both enjoyed.

This left Garfield alone with Raven. He smiled shyly at her across the table, uncertain of what to say. Kissing her was easier. It just came naturally to him. Talking with her was sometimes the challenge. It kept him on his toes for sure, but he was always terrified of saying the wrong thing and scaring her off. Raven and emotions were tricky.

"About that girl earlier…"

She closed her eyes and took a slow breath, as if the subject pained her. "Are we still on that?" she asked in a monotone.

"Yeah. We are." He hated how high pitched and nervous his voice sounded. "I just don't want you to think—"

"What?" she asked, cutting him off. "That other girls find you attractive?" She shook her head with a little snort of amusement. "If I get jealous every time some bimbo fan bats her eyelashes at you, this isn't going to work, Gar."

His heart leapt at the shortening of his name. He wasn't sure if she'd ever called him by his nickname before. He liked it. "But I don't want you to think I reciprocated the interest. It's you, Rae. All the way."

She smiled and stretched her hand across the table to place it atop of his. "I know." She shrugged a shoulder. "But you are who you are. You can't disappoint someone looking to you with excitement. If it was me, I would have shoved the girl away with an evil, magical fist. You're just not programmed that way, though."

"I can be that way," he said almost desperately. He didn't want her to think him weak minded, that he couldn't resist a pretty smile.

"I don't want you to be that way," she said, squeezing his hand before pulling back. "I like that you're you. You're caring and you're sweet. It's the whole reason I feel like I can let my guard down around you. I'm not going to expect you to start shunning Beast Boy fans because the two of us kissed. That wouldn't be fair. They love you." She hesitated before adding, "What's not to love?"

His eyes widened at this, but he tried not to draw attention to what her words could be hinting at. Did she…? "I just worry you're going to wake up one day and ask yourself what you're doing with me." He ran a hand along the back of his neck. He hadn't meant to voice his fears. Raven didn't do heart to hearts. He was pushing her. He knew he was. Bu he couldn't shut his trap.

"I'm worried you'll realize I'm not what you're looking for, and you'll walk away from whatever this is between us before it gets a chance to really happen. I'm worried you'll find someone you have more in common with. Someone dark and dangerous. Someone serious and brooding."

She shook her head at this, allowing her hood to fall down around her shoulders. "I don't want that. I've tried that, and it doesn't work. I'm brooding enough for the both of us." She smiled lightly at this before continuing. "I don't want someone like me. It would be terribly boring. I need someone…someone who tries to make me smile. Someone who makes me feel like I'm actually human, for once. Sure, I want to strangle you many days, but there are others where you can drag me out of some seriously dark thoughts with a simple joke. I need that. I need balance in my life. Robin told me that once. He saw that you were good at keeping me from going too dark, but I don't think he realized just how good at it you are."

She paused, looking down at the tabletop for a moment in silence. Then she whispered to its surface, "I'm terrified you're going to realize I'm the one not good enough for you." She took a deep breath and held it. Then slowly letting it out, she glanced up at him.

"You're fun and you're sweet. You enjoy having a good time. You enjoy laughing and being silly. I can't do any of those things. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to. Do you understand that? I don't want to hold you back. I don't want to suck you into my misery."

"Oh, you've sucked me in," he said with a chuckle. "But not into your misery." This time it was him to reach out and take her hand. "You aren't miserable. You're just…internal. And that's fine. You are who you are," he said with a little smile, giving her words back to her. "And I like you that way, mamma. I like being the only person able to make you smile. It makes me feel important to you."

"You are important." She linked their fingers together, and he saw the slightest smile on her lips as she gazed down at their joined hands.

"Good. Because I'm all in, Rae. All I ask is you take a gamble on me. Give me a chance to prove I'm not a screw up in every aspect of life."

 _I bet your body's so sweet (oh yeah)_

 _So roll your dice with my feet (oh yeah)_

 _Well when and where our eyes meet (oh yeah)_

 _You've got that hand I can't beat (oh yeah)_

 _I bet your body's so sweet (oh yeah)_

 _So roll your dice with my feet (oh yeah)_

 _Well when and where our eyes meet (oh yeah)_

 _You've got that hand I can't beat (oh yeah)_

 _So put your money on me_

 _Put your money on me_

 _So put your money on me_

 _Put your money on me_

"It's not a gamble, Gar. You're the most loyal person I've ever met. I'm not taking a chance here." She tightened her fingers around his. "I'm putting my faith in you."

"I won't let you down."

"I know you won't."

They stared at each other for a long moment. It was a comfortable silence, a nice silence. But there was still one question that needed asking.

"So…Rae…" He paused to build up some courage. "Are we… Is this officially…"

"Yes," she said quickly.

He grinned, liking the sound of that. "Yeah?"

"I'm all in." Untangling her fingers from his, she climbed to her feet. "Now stop making me talk about my feelings. It's starting to annoy me."

With a goofy grin, he jumped to his feet and saluted her. "You're the boss."

She arched a brow in his direction, her expression dry. "Never forget that." She stared at him for a moment, her expression thoughtful. "Now help me get dinner started. The sooner we get everyone fed, the sooner we can sneak off to bed. I need my Beastie snuggles." With that, she flipped her hood up over her head and marched off toward the pantry.

He stared after her in surprise. Had Raven just made a joke? Had she just been _playful_? She might claim she would always be serious, but around him, she let her walls down. Before she knew it, he'd have her full-on belly laughing.

Making that his newest goal, he raced after her into the pantry. "Dinner!" He was more than happy to get the meal started, because he was holding her to that Beastie snuggles comment.


	5. Chapter 5: Secrecy

_This installment, I am using Everybody Talks by Neon Trees._

 _I've got one more planned after this. I hope everyone is enjoying it!_

Raven awoke warm, happy, and comfortable. Inhaling deeply, she kept her eyes closed and soaked in the sensation for a minute. In all her years, she'd not woken up feeling as positive as she had these last few months. And the reason for that was curled up next to her side, his breath tickling against the back of her neck.

For two months, he'd been sneaking into her bed most nights, curling his taller frame around hers. They'd had their one discussion months ago about making things official between them, but she'd avoided any heavy discussions since. And they'd definitely not said anything to the other Titans. It was an unspoken rule. Sneak off for stolen kisses, meet up at night to curl up in bed. Outside of their stolen moments, they kept their relationship from reflecting in day to day activities. On the outside, nothing had changed. On the inside, everything had changed.

She peeked an eye open to look at the clock. Ten in the morning. She smiled at this and closed her eyes again, giving herself another moment. Never in a million years would she have ever thought she might one day _sleep in_. But she and Garfield had been adjusting their schedules to fit one another. He usually didn't drag himself out of bed until after noon, but since he'd been sneaking in to her bed, he'd started getting up earlier. She was usually up at six to meditate, but she'd been allowing herself to indulge in the warmth of bed for a few hours more. They both usually rolled out of bed around nine, and since she used to meditate until then most mornings, the rest of the house was unaware of what was really going on. Sure, that meant she had to meditate more often during the day, but it was more than worth the sacrifice.

"Are you pretending to still be asleep?"

Raven smiled at his voice, whispered into her hair. "Maybe." This morning, Robin and Cyborg had gone into town to investigate some lead or another. And Starfire had plans to go to the "mall of the shopping" as she liked to call it. She'd planned to leave early, hitting the grocery store for a few odds and ends beforehand. She and Beast Boy would have the Tower all to themselves this morning, so she was indulging a little bit.

Rolling over to face him, she stared into his sleepy green eyes and marveled at how they had gotten here. It seemed impossible that she would ever be able to relax enough to let another person in. But Garfield understood her need for privacy, her need for secrecy. She wasn't keeping this a secret from their friends because she was embarrassed of him. She was doing it because the pressure of everyone's awareness would be too much on her. He knew her well enough never to question her affection for him. He also understood that she didn't do sappy. She didn't want to overanalyze things and discuss them to death. Just being with him was enough for her, and thankfully, he seemed to concur.

His go with the flow attitude and easy nature were the things making it possible for her to try this. And even then, there were moments where she got frightened and had to retreat. Thankfully, he didn't judge her for them. As boyfriends went, he was kind of perfect.

 _Hey, baby, won't you look my way_

 _I could be your new addiction_

He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "Can't say I blame you. I'd want to weasel extra time with me too if I was you. I'm pretty awesome."

She rolled her eyes, but there was a smirk on her lips. "Something like that."

"You know what's better than just lounging around in bed with me?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Her eyes rolled again. "I think I can guess where this is going."

"And?"

She pursed her lips in disapproval. Then after a pause, she shifted forward and brushed her lips against his. "Is that what you had in mind?"

"About twenty minutes of that," he said, leaning in to give her another kiss.

Her heart thumped in her chest at the sensation of having him so close. She'd always been about personal space and boundaries, but with him, she didn't mind.

With a little sound of approval, she slipped her arms around his waist and inched closer. He'd tossed his shirt to the floor at some point during the night, so her fingers brushed against bare skin. It sped her heartrate up, making it seem as if her heart was about to burst out of her chest.

Garfield shifted and she found herself slightly underneath him. He braced himself on an elbow, his other hand sliding slowly over her hip, up her side.

Her breath caught and she arched beneath him, responding to his touch. Two months of this. Two months had given him time to become familiar with her, what she liked. It had also given him time to become a little bold with his hands.

And she'd been permitting his behavior. She knew she should stop him. She knew where this sort of thing led. She wasn't sure if she was ready, if her control was ready, for such a thing. But another part of her wanted to find out. That thought alone told her it was time to pull back.

"Gar," she whispered into his mouth. "We should probably stop."

 _Hey, baby, what you got to say_

 _All you're giving me is fiction_

Despite her words, her nails bit lightly into his back, holding him close. She tilted her chin up slightly so he could nuzzle her jaw. It was a habit he seemed to do most mornings. She knew his senses were heightened due to his unique abilities, and scent seemed to drive him at times like this. He always had his nose buried in her neck, her hair. It was a very animalistic reaction that always had her belly fluttering with pleasure.

After a moment, his lips found hers again. He kissed her slowly, nudging her mouth open with his. As she slipped her arms up around his neck, his fingertips grazed along the curve of her breast.

That was when a high-pitched scream sounded from Raven's open doorway.

Raven bolted upright with a cry of alarm.

This forced Garfield up to his knees, just above her. It was that or have their heads knocked together. His wide green eyes were transfixed to the doorway—where Starfire stood gaping at the pair of them.

Moving quicker than she ever had in her entire life, Raven opened a portal and threw Garfield into it, sending him sailing back to his own room. She heard the distinct sound through the walls of him slamming up against them, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment.

 _I'm a sorry sucker and this happens all the time_

 _I found out that everybody talks_

 _Everybody talks, everybody talks_

While Raven tried to get her breathing under control, Starfire flitted into the room, hovering in the air above Raven's bed. "Was that… Are you…" Silence fell for a long minute. Then she gasped in delight, squeezing her hands together so tightly it should have hurt. "You are in the relationship with friend Beast Boy! Oh, this is so exciting."

"No, no, no." Raven backed up against the headboard, trying to put some space between herself and the alien princess. "That wasn't…it wasn't what it looked like."

"No?" Starfire drooped slightly in the air with her obvious disappointment. But then she perked back up an instant later. "Surely I am correct. His hand was on your stuffers of the bikini."

Raven choked on her next inhale at Starfire's wording. She really needed to talk to Cyborg about teaching their alien friend euphemisms. "Star!"

"Well, it was." Starfire would not be swayed from her suspicions. She swooped down to the floor and lifted Beast Boy's t-shirt into her tiny fist. "Is this not friend Beast Boy's shirt?" She let out a high-pitched squeal. "Oh, this is the exciting! Robin said this would happen, but I worried you would be too stubborn to permit such a thing."

"Wait," Raven said, taken aback. "Robin said—"

But her sentence was cut off by Starfire swooping in and wrapping her in a bone crunching hug. "I am so happy for you, friend Raven. I cannot wait to tell Robin that he was correct."

"No!" Panic filled Raven. "Star, no. You can't tell Robin." A confused blink was all she got in the way of answer. "Gar and I just started…dating." That was as good a word as any. There was no way she was going to say they were hooking up. "It's new, and I want it to stay just us for a little while. If everyone knows…" Well, then everyone would look at them differently. They would ask questions. They would take deeper meaning into any conversation she and Beast Boy had. She was not ready for that.

This news did not seem to bother Starfire. Instead of focusing on what Raven was trying to convey, she merely gave another squeal of excitement. " _Gar?_ It is most adorable that you call him by his nickname. It is so adorable, I could just scream."

And she did, emitting a little squealing holler of excitement.

Raven flinched and rubbed her ear. Once her friend had calmed some, she said, "I'm serious, Starfire. Don't tell anyone. Please. Cyborg is Garfield's best friend. He should be the one to tell him."

Starfire beamed at the use of Beast Boy's real name and Raven fought to keep from rolling her eyes.

"Promise me, Star."

Starfire frowned, but finally she nodded. "Fine. I will not tell Robin or Cyborg that you are doing the kissy face with Beast Boy."

"Thank you." Raven tried not to cringe at the "kissy face" comment. Her friend was at least making an effort to adhere to her wishes.

Starfire paused a moment before plopping herself down onto Raven's bed. "What is it like, kissing friend Beast Boy?" she asked with wide eyes. "Is he an adequate lover?"

Raven felt her face flame with embarrassment. "We are not having this conversation."

Starfire pouted. "But is it not the earth custom to tell friends that are the girl about such things?" She reached out to pat Raven's arm. "I do wish to hear of his competence."

Raven felt as if her face was on fire. She knew it must be red. She was not about to explain to Starfire that just because she was sleeping with Beast Boy, that did not mean she was _sleeping_ with him.

Starfire gave another squeal and Raven flinched.

"What now?"

"You are wearing the pajamas I bought you for Christmas." Starfire waved a hand enthusiastically at Raven's outfit. "I am very pleased that my gift could help seduce our green friend."

Raven squeezed her eyes closed in horror and pulled her blankets tighter around herself. She'd forgotten about that. For Christmas, Starfire had gifted her a pair of girly pajamas in pale pink and white stripes. The shorts were ridiculously short and the top was nothing more than a skimpy tank top. There was a two-inch gap between where the top ended and the shorts began. She'd tucked them away with the intent never to wear them. There was no way she would ever being caught in something _pink_. But when Beast Boy started slipping into her room at night, her pajamas weren't doing her any favors. So she'd taken to wearing the ones from Star occasionally. It was just her luck that she happened to be wearing them now.

While Raven was busy being mortified, Starfire pressed on. "I am very pleased that you and Beast Boy are in the love."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Raven waved a hand frantically in the air, as if to swat away the words. "Who said anything about love?"

Starfire sent her a look of amusement. "Because I have noticed you are much happier lately. Now I know why." She beamed. "I'm going to assume that it is because Beast Boy is a skilled lover and you are in the love."

Raven scowled at her, knowing any argument was not worth the effort. "Why are you at the Tower anyway," she grumbled. "You were supposed to be out. Had I known you were still about, I would have made sure my door was locked."

Starfire shrugged. "I postponed my shopping enjoyment for the morrow so Robin could accompany me. I am glad I did," she said with a self-satisfied smirk. She reached over and patted the top of Raven's head. "Now, we should get breakfast. I will see you in the kitchen."

As she flew away in a whirl of energy, Raven gave a grumble of annoyance and climbed out of bed. It would seem her secret was no longer safe. She knew Starfire would _try_ to keep quiet, but she was always so exuberant. Especially when excited about something. If her reaction to her discovery was any indication, it was going to be a challenge for her to restrain herself around the others.

Changing out of her girly pajamas, Raven wrapped her familiar cloak around her shoulders. When she reached her bedroom door, she paused to take a deep, calming breath. She knew she shouldn't be, that she wasn't doing anything wrong, but she found herself embarrassed to face Starfire after what her friend had witnessed this morning.

She frowned at this. She was half demon. She was a bad ass. She was not about to slink around the Tower because she'd been caught making out with Gar. Straightening her shoulders with resolve, she levitated her way out into the hallway and down to the kitchen.

Upon entering, she saw Garfield at the counter. His face was flushed, his ears slightly drooped.

And Starfire was in his face, yammering on quite happily. No doubt she was asking him the same sort of embarrassing questions Raven herself had been subject to only minutes ago.

Raven smirked, not feeling an ounce of pity for the green changeling. He'd been the one to leave the door unlocked after all.

 _It started with a whisper_

 _And that was when I kissed her_

 _And then she made my lips hurt_

 _I could hear the chit chat_

 _Take me to your love shack_

 _Mama's always gotta back track_

 _When everybody talks back_

Making her way across the kitchen, she opened a cabinet and pulled out her favorite mug. Then she set about making herself a cup of tea. She'd decided the best course of action was to behave as if nothing had even happened.

As she set her kettle on the stove, she caught Garfield's desperate attempt to dodge another question.

"Come on, Star! I'm not answering that." When their pink-haired friend opened her mouth to retort, he transformed into a tiny green kitten. "Come on!" he wheedled. "Wouldn't you rather watch me chase around yarn?"

Starfire giggled. "That _is_ the fun activity."

He'd turned into a kitten—smart. Starfire couldn't resist kittens. It was a distraction tactic that was more likely to work than anything else.

And it did work.

Raven rolled her eyes skyward as Starfire completely lost her train of thought and began tickling the kitten's belly.

"You're so cute! Yes, you are!" Then she seemed to catch herself. She straightened, sending a worried look Raven's way. "Should I not be doing the scratching of the belly?"

Raven shook her head in exasperation. "By all means, continue." As the kettle signaled her water was boiling, she poured it carefully into her mug. "I know you're not attempting to steal him away by tickling his cat belly," she said in a bored monotone. Honestly, this was just the type of thing she'd been wanting to avoid.

Starfire motioned toward Beast Boy, who was on his back, kicking his four tiny legs into the air as if asking for attention. "Perhaps you would like to do the petting of the belly. Surely it would be nicer coming from you."

Raven picked up her now finished tea and shook her head in negation. "Nope. I don't like cats." Not entirely true, but she wasn't about to fall victim to these silly games already. "I prefer dogs." With that, she swept out of the room to enjoy her tea in privacy.

OOOOO

Realizing she'd forgotten her breakfast, Raven entered the kitchen a few minutes later to find Starfire gleefully staring at her. "What?" she asked, trying not to let her impatience show. She could tell by the look on Star's face that she wasn't going to like whatever it was that had her friend so excited.

"Look what I found." Beaming, Starfire bent to pick up a small, green terrier.

Beast Boy. In dog form.

Raven fought a sigh. Making her way across the kitchen, she grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl, ignoring them.

"Wouldn't you like to give his little wet nose kisses?" Star asked with a less than subtle hint in her tone.

"Nope." Raven headed for the door, hoping for a quick escape. "I prefer big dogs."

With a pop, Garfield became a hound. His sudden weight almost toppled Starfire over and she struggled to adjust her hold.

Raven nearly smirked in amusement, but she forced it back. "Bigger," she said, before heading into the living room. Settling onto the couch, she opened her book and took a bite of her apple. She was only there a moment before Starfire flitted over to her and dropped into the seat beside her on the couch.

Raven could feel her gaze as if it was tangible. She tried to ignore it, but after a few minutes, it became too distracting. Lowering her book with a huff, she turned to her friend. "What, Star?"

Starfire frowned, wringing her hands together nervously. "Friend Raven…" She trailed off, as if not sure how to approach the subject. "Well…" She took a deep breath and plunged in. "Why did you not try to entice friend Beast Boy?" She waved a hand in the air as if confused. "You do not act as if you are in the love with him. It's very confusing."

"It's not confusing for Gar."

Even using his nickname didn't derail Star's thoughts this time. "But you do not do the flirting with him. Or the girly cuddles when he becomes a kitty. Should his girlfriend not wish to do such things?"

Raven sighed and ran a hand over her face. Again, this was the type of thing she'd wanted to avoid. "That stuff…it's not me. Okay? Just because I like Garfield that doesn't mean I'm going to change who I am. And he doesn't want me to." She hesitated before adding an admission that might appease her friend. "We've been doing this for a few months now, Star. He knows I like him. He doesn't need me to prove it in front of everyone else. I…I show him when it's just the two of us."

"When you do the kissy face?" Star asked curiously.

Raven flinched, but then she smiled ever so slightly. "Yeah. When we do the kissy face." Star opened her mouth, so Raven cut her off, knowing where the next line of questioning was going. "And before you bombard me with questions— No, I'm not embarrassed to be with him. I'm just private. No, he doesn't feel uncared for because of it. And yes, he's a very good kisser." She blushed at this last admission, but it pulled a squeal of excitement from Star.

"How good?"

Raven's lips tugged up into a full grin, something rare for her. "Really good." Lifting her feet, she wrapped her arms around her knees. It was coming to her attention that she was actually kind of…happy to talk to Starfire about some of this. It had some of the tension leaking out of her shoulders.

Starfire looked thrilled to be having one of their rare bonding moments. "Have you…" She trailed off but arched a brow suggestively.

Raven shook her head, her dark hair brushing against her knees. "No. But you'll be the first person I tell when it happens."

Starfire threw her arms around her friend and squeezed her tightly. "I am happy you've found someone you can be Raven with. You deserve it."

Raven nodded, her heart warming. She had found someone she could be herself with. She couldn't ask for more than that.

OOOOO

The next morning, Raven lounged on the couch, her book in her hand and a slice of toast nearly finished between her fingers. She was enjoying the silence in the Tower. Starfire and Robin had gone out for their morning of shopping. Cyborg had just disappeared to the garage to work on the T-Car. As far as she knew, Beast Boy was still in bed. He'd slept in his own room last night, something she was grudgingly unhappy about.

They'd both thought it a good idea to take a night apart, just in case Starfire's excitement got the best of her and she blurted something incriminating. Only Raven hadn't been able to sleep well on her own. She'd gotten used to his presence and slept better when he was near. Something that irritated her to no end. She didn't like being so dependent on someone else. Especially for something as basic as sleep.

She supposed this was a part of being in a relationship, but it still made her feel uncomfortable. It was a sensation she was trying to get accustomed to. She figured if they kept up with this, she had a long line of uncomfortable situations to deal with.

Popping the last bite of toast into her mouth, she turned the page of her book.

Despite having her gaze glued to the pages, she couldn't miss the large hulking form that suddenly sauntered into the room. It was the most massive dog she'd ever seen. If it could still be considered a dog. The green creature looked as if it could easily reach her waist while still on all four legs. Her eyes widened slightly at its impressive size. Then she asked in a bored tone. "What are you doing, Beast Boy?"

He padded over to the center of the living room floor and flopped down on the ground. "Well, Mamma, you said my terrier wasn't big enough. So I picked the biggest dog you'll ever see."

She remained silent. He didn't seem to be grasping the fact that it wasn't cats versus dogs. Or little dogs versus big. It was more about not allowing Starfire to treat them any differently now that she knew their secret.

On her continued silence, he wiggled his butt, tail swishing through the air. "Come on! Look how cute and cuddly I am!"

"I don't do cute and cuddly," she said, tone bored as she flicked to another page in her book.

He widened his eyes, giving her classic "puppy dog eyes".

"Those don't work on me."

"No?" He gave a little doggy whimper, his eyes going impossibly wide.

She attempted to ignore him. But those _eyes_ … She let out a little growl from between her teeth. "Fine." She climbed to her feet, radiating annoyance. Even so, she stalked across the room and plopped down onto the floor beside him. "Happy?"

He curled up on the floor, settling in as if about to take a nap. "Almost." He pawed at her leg. "Put your head on my side."

"Are you serious?" she asked darkly.

"Come on, Rae!" he wheedled. "I missed my snuggles last night."

Her face flushed and she frantically waved his statement off. "Fine. Just…stop saying that." She positioned herself so that the two of them made a "T". Then she leaned back and reclined against his side.

Refusing to comment, she lifted her book back in front of her face and returned to her reading. It took a couple of minutes, but she began relaxing against him. His fur was actually pretty soft, and the gentle rise and fall of his breaths was nice.

Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, she saw his own were closed and he looked completely at ease. Smiling slightly, she snuggled in, enveloping herself in his warm fur. After a slight hesitation, she said, "I like cats too, you know. Just don't let Starfire know that."

He peeked one eye open at her, and his jowl lifted in what she could only describe as a doggy smile.

She rolled her eyes, but she couldn't keep the grin off her face as she returned her attention to her book. She wouldn't admit it aloud to him, but it was really nice getting to spend some time alone with him without having to sneak off to make out in the pantry or creep down the hallway to curl up together in bed. They were always sneaking. It was nice to lounge out in the open together, to just hang out for some time together that wasn't a stolen moment.

Immersing herself in her book, she found that time passed comfortably. He enjoyed lazy moments just reclining around, and she enjoyed her books. She was pretty sure she was more relaxed that she'd been in her entire life—until something she'd been unconsciously doing popped into her awareness.

She'd been shifting on the floor, arching her hips ever so slightly. It took her a moment to realize why. Then she flushed scarlet. Beast Boy was curling his large, bushy tail along her stomach. He was curving it around her hip in a slow, seductive manner. _How had she not immediately noticed that?_ She mentally chastised her body for responding to him without her consent.

She immediately stilled on the ground. "Garfield," she said accusingly.

He chuckled lightly, and she felt the rumble against her back. "Wondered how long I was going to get away with that."

"Too long," she said with disapproval. She turned on her side to face him. As she did, with a pop, he transformed back into himself. She found herself staring into his emerald gaze.

"Can you blame me?" he asked with a crooked little grin.

"Yes," she said dryly. "And I do."

"But you like it," he said cheekily.

She smirked and rolled her eyes. "Yes. I do."

Lifting up to brace himself on an elbow, he leaned toward her. With no resistance from her, he brought his mouth to hers, kissing her ever so gently. "I can't help myself. I'm crazy about you."

She shook her head, embarrassment washing over her. "You're crazy. I'll give you that."

"That was never in debate." With a chuckle, he kissed her again.

And as always, one kiss turned to two. Two turned to three.

 _Hey, honey, you could be my drug_

 _You could be my new prescription_

Nearly every social circumstance made her uncomfortable, but Raven found herself completely at ease. Things with him were just so easy. Perhaps because he didn't take himself too seriously, so she never felt as if she was under a microscope. Life was more about being silly and having fun than worrying over social pressures.

And this was most definitely fun. Lifting her hand, she cupped his cheek, moving her mouth against his. His arm curved around her waist, and she shifted on the floor to be closer to him, though she still reclined against his stomach.

She silently wondered how she'd allowed herself to get this deeply involved. She was not the type of girl to get completely wrapped up in her boyfriend, but even so, she'd missed him. A lot. It was one stupid night, and she was acting like it had been a week. She silently chastised herself, but that didn't stop her from rubbing her nose against his for a moment before returning to kissing him.

It was at this moment the sound of shattering glass echoed through the living room.

Raven shot upright with a gasp just as Cyborg's voice broke the silence.

"What the hell is going on?"

 _Too much could be an overdose_

 _All this trash talk make me itchin'_

 _Oh my my_

 _Everybody talks, everybody talks_

 _Everybody talks, too much_

Raven lunged to her feet and wrapped her cloak as tightly around herself as it could possibly get. "I… We…" She trailed off, for once at a loss of words. First Starfire. Now Cyborg. _Why?_ And this one felt much more awkward. Because Cyborg was Beast Boy's best friend.

And he was just staring at them, his plate of lunch shattered on the floor between his feet. He'd obviously dropped it at the sight that greeted him.

Garfield did not look nearly as nervous as she felt. He hopped to his feet and tossed an arm over her shoulder, sticking his chest out proudly. "Raven's my girl, dude."

Cyborg looked torn between disbelief and realizing there was no denying the proof he'd just witnessed. His jaw gaped and he stared between the two of them in shock.

It was more than she could take. "I've got—" She straightened her shoulders and threw off Garfield's arm. "There's something I need to do in the kitchen. If you'll excuse me…" And with that, she scurried from the room like a coward.

OOOOO

Everyone had retired to the living room for a movie. Raven was just cleaning up the last of the dishes from dinner when Cyborg entered the kitchen.

She quickly dropped the last plate in the dish rack and tried to scurry past him. She'd been avoiding him for a good two days. Why stop now?

She was just about to scurry past him when Cyborg reached out to stop her with a hand to her elbow. "We need to talk."

She shook him off with a little glare. "I disagree."

"I don't." He set her with a stern look. "We need to talk."

She let out a weary sigh and crossed her arms over her chest. "About what?"

"About Beast Boy."

"What about him?" she grumbled. "Garfield is a big boy. He can make his own decisions." It irritated her that she seemed to be about to get the speech about Beast Boy not knowing what he was signing up for, about how her darkness was too much for him. Did Cyborg really think he was about to tell her anything she hadn't told herself a thousand times?

His brows arched in surprise at her calling Beast Boy by his real name. She huffed at this and threw her arms into the air. "Garfield is his name. Why does everyone freak out about me using it?"

Cyborg blinked in surprise. "I think because we've never heard you use it before."

"Well, there's a lot you don't know about us," she grumbled, wishing that were true.

"Apparently," he said in return, his tone just as grumpy.

 _It started with a whisper_

 _And that was when I kissed her_

 _And then she made my lips hurt_

 _I could hear the chit chat_

 _Take me to your love shack_

 _Mamas always gotta back track_

 _When everybody talks back_

Raven pursed her lips, but refused to rise to the bait. She wasn't about to be guilted for something that wasn't any of his business. "What do you want, Cyborg?"

His eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms in turn. "I'm just looking out for Beastie."

"And you think you have to protect him from me?" There was an edge to her voice, and she could feel Rage pushing at the surface of her mind, asking to be unleashed. It was an interesting sensation, as her Emoticlone hadn't ever reared up in defense of another before. It was interesting that even Rage held affection for Garfield.

"I don't know," Cyborg said tensely. "Do I?"

Raven's hands clenched into fists. "What exactly do you think I'm doing here?"

"I don't know," he said wearily, and the majority of the anger leaked from his voice. "I just know I've been grilling him the last few days, trying to wrap my head around this. And…" He trailed off, rubbing the bridge of his nose for a moment. "I don't know if you realize this, Raven, but that boy is smitten. He's in love."

Raven flushed with embarrassment. It was just Cyborg's opinion, but it still sent her heart to fluttering. It also had her anger at him dissipating. He was just looking out for his best friend. And his reservations had nothing to do with her being half demon. It was with his friend getting his heart broken because he cared so easily and freely. Cyborg's concern actually warmed her heart.

"You don't have to worry about that, Cy."

"I don't?" Then the meaning of her comment sunk in and his eyes widened in surprise. "Wait! Are you saying…?"

With a small smile, she nodded. "I'm not just screwing around. I…" She trailed off with a little shrug, refusing to say more. She wasn't about to tell Cyborg about her deeper feelings before Garfield found out.

A thought occurred to her and her eyes flashed red in warning, becoming four instead of two. "If you breathe a word of that to him…"

Instead of being intimidated, Cyborg grinned and wrapped her in a bear hug. "My girl's in love!"

"Shut up," she growled.

"There's gonna be aTitan wedding!"

And for that, she slammed him over the head with one of her magical fists.

OOOOO

"Would you look at them?" Cyborg cried. "They're so cute!"

"They are most definitely the cute!" Starfire said just as enthusiastically.

Raven glanced up from the book she was reading with a look of annoyance. "Can you stop it? We're not even doing anything."

"But you are sitting next to each other on the couch," Starfire said, pointing at them.

Beast Boy paused, his pear halfway to his lips, with a quizzical frown. "So?"

"Yeah," Raven said in exasperation. "So? We've sat near each other thousands of times."

"It's different now," Cyborg said gleefully.

"It isn't," Raven said darkly. "And you need to keep quiet about it. If Robin hears you talking about this, I swear I will banish you to another dimension."

"How long are you going to keep Rob in the dark about this anyway?"

"It is the most hard to keep quiet," Starfire said in agreement.

She hated the way they were looking at her—curious, fascinated, nosy. She and Garfield had become a circus show. "I'm never telling him," Raven said in irritation as she levitated out of her seat and over to the door. As she made her escape, she realized she was gritting her teeth. This was exactly what she'd been wanting to avoid. She—

"Rae?"

Her mood darkened and she spun on Garfield. " _What?_ "

He flinched, running a hand along the back of his neck.

Before he could say anything else, she beat him to it. "We have to break up."

 _Never thought I'd live_

 _To see the day_

 _When everybody's words got in the way_

She expected devastation on his face, disappointment at the very least. Instead, he burst out laughing. "We do not." He reached out and tugged her into his arms, something made easy as she was floating in the air a few feet in front of him. "You'd miss me too much," he said in his adorable, somewhat squeaky voice.

When he kissed her cheek, she frowned. "I suppose…"

"They're just excited," he said reasonably. "Things will cool down once it isn't so new to them."

She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. "I suppose…"

"That's the spirit!" Even with her eyes close, she could sense his smile just from the tone of his voice. But a moment later, he spoke again, this time more seriously. "But they're right. When are we going to tell Robin?"

"Never?" she asked hopefully. At his unspoken disapproval, she sighed. "Soon." He was right. They couldn't keep this a secret from their leader when everyone else knew.

He leaned his forehead against hers. "Whenever you are ready, Rave."

She nodded. Overcome with appreciation that he hadn't panicked during her momentary freak out, she brushed her lips against his.

" _Awwwwww!"_

The cry from the doorway had her summoning a ball of black energy. But before she could punish the two spying Titans, the Tower's alarm sounded. She pushed away from Garfield and tugged her cape tighter around herself. "Jump City calls."

OOOOO

The battle was raging intently. Doctor Light has somehow escaped from prison and was currently wreaking havoc on downtown Jump City. He made it personal by attacking Raven's favorite bookstore. He claimed he was looking for a magical tome, but Raven felt it had a little bit more to do with a personal vendetta against her. She had stopped him last time, and it didn't seem as if he'd forgotten.

Raven hit him with a powerful blast of dark magic that he deflected to the side. She growled in frustration and dodged an assault sent in her direction.

His powers seemed to have grown since their last encounter. He'd always had telekinetic energy, but the strength of that energy seemed to have doubled. He was throwing much larger objects in their direction and with greater ease.

She ducked underneath a hurled trashcan, and it barely missed her head. Many of his projectiles seemed to be coming in her direction. It was definitely a personal vendetta.

Breathlessly, she glanced over her shoulder at Robin. "I can't get a good shot in! Give me some cover!"

Robin nodded and motioned for the other Titans to come in strong. Cyborg hit a hurled street sign out of the air with a blast from one of his cannons. Starfire shot a starbolt at another projectile—a mailbox perhaps? Robin came in close for hand to hand combat, trying to distract the villain. Beast Boy transformed into a gorilla and emitted a loud roar.

This proved to be an unwise choice.

Doctor Light used his telekinetic powers to lift a dumpster high up into the air. Then with the flick of his wrist, he sent it sailing in Beast Boy's direction. The solid metal collided with his midsection and sent him flying backward through the wall of the bookstore.

The changeling was quick to recover thought. He was on his feet a moment later and was halfway back through the wall when Doctor Light did something unforeseen.

Using an immense amount of telekinetic energy, he lifted both fists and slammed them down. With his motion, the entire foundation of the bookstore crumbled. Support beams burst. Windows shattered. The entire structure came plummeting down. With Beast Boy still inside.

Raven watched him disappear beneath a massive pile of rubble and cement. Icy horror raced down her spine as a cloud of dust obscured the entire area, seeming to swallow up the remains of the building. " _Garfield!_ "

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Robin's eyes widened and he stared at her as if seeing something he'd been missing before. She didn't care. It didn't take a genius to hear the anguish and terror that tore its way from her throat.

Suddenly, she didn't care about Doctor Light. She didn't care about getting a good shot. All she cared about was the green-skinned Titan she'd come to care so much about. She raced over to the rubble, instantly gagging and coughing in the thick dust cloud.

Her mind was in such a frantic state her powers didn't even come to mind. She dropped to her knees and began clawing at the rubble with her bare hands. Nails broke. Small cuts formed on her fingers where she grabbed at glass and sharp shards of wood. But she didn't care.

A sob bubbled up from the depths of her chest as she tore at the wreckage. Any other moment in time, she would have been horrified. She was _Raven_. She didn't cry. She didn't panic.

But Garfield could be dying. He could be dead. His body was strong, but she wasn't sure he could handle the weight of an entire building. In fact, she was certain he couldn't. Another wracking sob escaped her as she tossed another chunk of cement out of the way. She was barely making progress, and while she was distracted, Doctor Light was getting the upper hand.

Fingers gripped into her shoulder, pulling her upright. "Raven!" It was Robin and his eyes looked slightly frantic. "We need you to focus."

Her wild eyes looked to the rubble pile, but Robin shook her shoulder. "We'll get him out. We will. But we have to stop Doctor Light from killing one of us first. We need you."

Raven nodded, stumbling on her feet. She was too disoriented to even levitate at the moment. That meant Robin was right. She needed to get her head on straight. She was no help to anyone like this.

Closing her eyes, she took a moment to focus herself. Then she lifted up into the air. She was still an emotional wreck, but she tried to be more productive. Silent tears tracked down the dirt on her cheeks as she alternated between sending blasts at Doctor Light and removing rubble. Back and forth. Back and forth. Villain. Rubble. Villain. Rubble.

But then she saw that Doctor Light was about to hurl a truck at a defenseless Starfire.

Rising higher into the air, she summoned as much darkness as she could. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" With one forceful burst, she slammed the darkness at Doctor Light.

It hit him like a tidal wave and engulfed him. Strangled him. Raven tightened her fist, squeezing the energy. The idea of ending his miserable existence flitted through her mind. She could make him pay for what he'd done to Garfield. She could end him.

That scary thought had her extinguishing the shadows around him, had her loosening her choking grip. She wasn't a murderer. Despite whatever happened, she wasn't that rageful person. She'd worked so hard to embrace as much of her humanity as she comfortably could. Murdering someone would negate all that.

Her power released with a loud bang, and the darkness scattered.

Doctor Light collapsed to the ground, unconscious, and Robin rushed in to restrain him until law enforcement could take control and remove him from the scene.

Exhausted, Raven collapsed to her knees. Another sob escaped her. She needed to get back to digging. The rubble needed removed…

A hand touched her shoulder and she glanced up to see Cyborg staring down at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Forget about me," she snapped, angrily wiping at her tears. They weren't helping her. They were just blurring her vision. "Get to digging."

Starfire bent down. Taking Raven's arm, she gently helped her to her feet. "We will help you, friend Raven. We can get him free."

The three of them started in the direction of the rubble. They were halfway to the crumbled building when Beast Boy himself suddenly appeared as if out of nowhere.

"Garfield!" Raven screamed his name and pushed Starfire's hand off of her arm. Still too distracted to use her powers, she raced across the uneven ground, her foot sliding on a chunk of busted cement.

When she reached him, she lunged into his arms. She hopped up, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms tightly around his neck. Her mouth was on his in an instant.

 _Hey, sugar, show me all your love_

 _All you're giving me is friction_

 _Hey, sugar, what you gotta say?_

He gave a grunt of surprise and stumbled back a step, but he quickly recovered and returned the kiss.

"I thought you were dead," she breathed, tracing her hands over his face, searching for injuries. "I thought he killed you."

"Nah," he said with a little shrug. "When I saw the building coming apart, I transformed into a roach." His nose curled. "Not the most dignified thing, but they're fairly small. I just had to wait for most of the dust to settle before I could climb up through the debris."

Her hands pressed tightly to his cheeks, she leaned in to kiss him again. It was hard, needy. "You're a genius."

He chuckled, holding her lightly in his arms. "I wish I had that on video. I doubt I'll ever hear that one again."

"You won't," she agreed. "Cherish it." Despite her tough words, a sob of relief burst from between her lips.

He carefully lifted a hand and wiped a tear from her dirty cheek. "You're exuding a lot of emotion, Rae. Is that safe?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, hating her heritage, hating that every little bit of happiness needed sadness to keep her balanced. Opening her eyes, she nodded. "I was filled with enough rage before we took down Doctor Light to balance it out." She was allowed this moment, and she was going to take it. "When I thought he'd…"

Cupping his face tightly, she kissed him again. "I love you," she whispered against his lips, unable to contain the words.

He chuckled and squeezed her tightly. "Aw," he wheedled in a teasing voice. "You said it first!" He laughed in disbelief, his green eyes widening. "I can't believe you said it first!"

Her eyes narrowed and she came back to herself—somewhat. "Are you planning to say it in return?"

With a self-satisfied smile, he shook his head. "Nope." At her glare, he winked. "I want to sit on that one a little bit, make you work for it."

"I hate you," she grumbled.

"No you don't." He chuckled. "You _love_ me." At her glare, he took pity on her. Leaning in, he kissed her gently. "I'm okay, Rae."

She nodded, nuzzling the top of her head in against his shoulder and just letting him hold her for a moment. Behind them, she heard unmistakably stunned silence.

"Everyone's staring," he whispered into her hair.

"Let them." Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. It was a long kiss, a slow kiss. It was a kiss that was not meant to ever be seen by the public eye, but she'd been so terrified for his safety. She needed this to help convince herself that he was all right.

Beside them, Robin cleared his throat uncomfortably.

Raven groaned, but turned her head in his direction.

"You two… This… I knew…the instant you screamed his civilian name, I knew…" He shook his head. "How long? How long have you been hiding this from me?"

 _It started with a whisper_

 _And that was when I kissed her_

 _And then she made my lips hurt_

 _I could hear the chit chat_

 _Take me to your love shack_

 _Mamas always gotta back track_

 _When everybody talks back_

Beast Boy's eyes filled with worry. He never did like to be the target of Robin's ire.

Raven took control of the situation. If there was blame to be had, she had no problem being its target. Sliding her legs down Beast Boy's, she planted her feet firmly on the ground. "A few months."

" _A few months?"_

Cringing, she nodded.

"Do you know what this means?"

She shook her head, almost afraid to hear what came next.

"It means I was right!" With a cry of triumph, he pumped a fist in the air. "I called it! I called it!"

"He did do the predicting," Starfire chimed in.

Robin did a little victory dance that looked downright ridiculous.

"When?" Raven asked curiously, trying very hard not to smile at his exuberance.

"About a year ago," Robin said with a shrug once he'd settled down.

Raven blinked at him in surprise. _A year ago?_ "If it was so obviously, why didn't you clue me in?"

He patted her shoulder. "It was more entertaining to watch you slowly figure it out yourself."

OOOOO

The gang was back at the Tower, getting ready to settle in for a late-night movie. They'd earned the down time after the stressful day they'd had.

Beast Boy sat on the righthand side of the couch, his arm thrown over the armrest. His other arm? Well, it was around Raven's shoulders. She was tucked in against his side, her feet pulled up so she could hug her knees to her chest.

It wasn't an overly intimate position, but it was nice to be able to behave like a couple, to not have to look over their shoulders to see who was watching. It had resolved a lot of her remaining hesitation and anxiety.

Cyborg entered the living room with a bowl of popcorn in his arms and a super-sized soda in one hand. "Ew, you two. Get a room," he said with a teasing smile.

Raven merely rolled her eyes, but Beast Boy said, "Just because you're jealous…"

At that moment, Starfire and Robin entered the room. The two less than subtly chose seats beside each other.

Cyborg plopped down on Raven's other side and grabbed the remote. "So what are we watching?" He flicked on the television.

It was automatically tuned to the news station, and a video of their fight with Doctor Light flashed across the screen. But that wasn't the focus of the report. The headline "Titans in Love" scrolled across the bottom. The video changed to Raven racing to Beast Boy and jumping into his arms. It zoomed in on her attacking his mouth with her own.

Raven felt her face flame with embarrassment. At the time, she hadn't cared, but she was very reserved in the public eye. She tried to show as little emotion as possible around civilians. And there she was, practically trying to inhale Garfield's face.

Cyborg whooped, and Robin gave a whistle. Starfire giggled in amusement.

"Look at that, Raven," Cyborg said with a laugh. "You tried to keep this a secret and instead announced it to the whole world."

Shut up," she grumbled, wincing as the reporter made a comment about love being in the air.

 _Everybody talks, everybody talks_

 _Everybody talks, everybody talks_

 _Everybody talks, everybody talks back_

 _It started with a whisper_

 _And that was when I kissed her_

 _Everybody talks, everybody talks back_

"They are the most adorable," Starfire squealed. "It is too much to handle!"

"It _is_ nice to get good press every once in a while," Robin said thoughtfully. "Usually they just complain about the amount of damage to the city. You two should make out in public more often."

"Shut up, Robin," she said grumpily.

"I don't know," Beast Boy said with amusement in his voice. "He might have a point. We should probably make out any chance we get. For reputation sake."

Cyborg gagged and flicked off the news, pulling up their list of movies. "Gross, man."

Garfield laughed. "Hey, you want to tease poor Rae, you're going to get crap in return. Now turn on that movie."

Feeling thankful that he'd effectively halted the teasing, Raven leaned her head against him, settling in for the film. They might get their fair share of teasing in the upcoming weeks, but the most important thing she needed to keep in mind—their friends accepted them. It warmed her heart and made her feel—finally—like a full member of this family. She wouldn't want it any other way.


	6. Chapter 6: Love

_Here it is, ladies and gentleman, the finale. I hope you enjoy it, and I greatly appreciate all of the beautiful feedback I've gotten on this fluffy little story. Please keep it coming!_

 _I'm toying with the idea of writing another series of BBRae stories, so if you favorite me as an author, keep your eyes peeled! I've got a few things dancing in my head. Not sure which I will go with._

 _This installment, I am using an oldie but a goody. Bryan Adams—Let's Make a Night to Remember. This final chapter gets rather steamy, so mature readers only please! Enjoy!_

A punch came hurling at Raven's face and she barely managed to duck her head left to avoid it. The sudden movement placed her off balance and as a result, the next assault came at her ribs. She threw up a quick burst of magic, blocking the strike.

Another fist came at her, and she lifted her forearm to block it. Another—blocked. This left her midsection exposed, and it was less than half a breath before a boot connected with her gut.

She sailed backward onto the floor but managed to curl and roll through. She landed in a crouch on the ground just as another boot came at her face.

She lifted her forearms and blocked the blow, feeling shockwaves of the force travel down both arms. She shook strands of hair from her eyes. The instant her vision cleared, she saw her opponent lunge through the air at her. She was tackled, her back hitting the ground as a weight settled on her stomach. Her arms were pinned down to the floor beside her head and a face leaned down into hers.

"Your hand-to-hand is improving faster than I anticipated."

Raven stared up at her boyfriend with narrowed eyes, her chest heaving with ragged pants.

"But I think you secretly enjoy getting pinned." Keeping her hands restrained, he lowered his mouth to hers in a slow, enticing kiss.

Raven responded despite her wishes to remain focused. She made a soft sound in the back of her throat and arched her body up against his.

Garfield groaned into her mouth, sinking deeper into her.

She took the presented opportunity. Bringing her legs up, she wrapped them around his waist and pulled backward hard, flipping him off of her. She came up quickly onto her knees, crouching over him.

With a chuckle, he wasted no time in sweeping her legs out from under her.

She hit the ground but immediately rolled. Good thing too, as he'd stomped his boot down where she'd been only moments before. He wasn't holding back, something that brought a smile to her face.

Robin had insisted the two continue training together. Raven's hand-to-hand had been vastly improving since she'd started working with Garfield. Even after he'd found out about their closer relationship, Robin had seen the value of her training. He understood it wasn't just the two of them messing around. They were honestly improving their skills.

She'd been worried at first that Beast Boy would hold back because of their closeness. She'd been worried he wouldn't be able to throw a punch at his girlfriend. He'd assured her he could, because he understood that their enemies didn't pull punches, so he couldn't in training either.

He'd earned even more of her respect with that. She didn't want to be treated like a delicate _girl_ just because they were dating, and he'd never once made her feel that way. He was able to separate their Titans duties from their relationship. It was just one more reason why he was good for her.

"Why are you grinning?" he asked in amusement. "I've got you cornered."

Raven shot out a blast of power at his feet, taking them out from underneath him.

He fell to the ground with a grunt, his ribs slamming into the floor.

Lunging quickly, she hopped onto his back before he could recover. Looping an arm around his neck from behind, she pulled back ever so slightly, bowing his back. "You're not as tough as you think you are."

Beast Boy bucked underneath her. When she came up off of his back, he reached an arm over his head to grab a fistful of her cape and toss her over his head.

She scrambled to her feet, but he was quicker. She was still down on one knee when he grabbed an arm and twisted it around behind her back, yanking her fully to her feet.

She could feel his ragged breaths panting in her ear, could feel his closeness. With a smirk, she shifted her hips back into his groin, moving ever so suggestively against him.

He hissed and his free hand automatically went to her hip, freezing her movements. He pressed against her from behind, her body tucking perfectly in against him. "You better not fight like that with anyone but me."

She chuckled breathlessly before spinning around.

He didn't relinquish her arm, merely adjusted his grip. When she whipped to face him, he tightened his hold, pulling her forward. With his hand pinning her arm to her back, he pressed her chest into his, bringing her up onto her tiptoes to keep the bend in her elbow from hurting.

Raven's breath caught at the feel of muscle flush against her breasts. She'd failed to notice it before recent months, but he'd filled out over the years, his lanky teen frame bulking up into something tantalizing desirable. It made her breath hitch, made her toes curl in delight.

With a chuckle, he lowered his head, brushing his lips along her collarbone. "Two can play this game..."

She jumped at the feel of his mouth on her throat, the sensation unexpected but not unpleasant. With a soft exhale, she let her head fall back, let his lips graze her exposed skin. And when she was sure she'd lured him in, she whipped her head up in an attempt to headbutt him.

He saw it coming and instantly released her. He danced back out of arm's length, dancing on the balls of his feet while he chuckled. "You're cold, Rae."

No. She was the opposite of cold. Her blood felt heated, and her heart raced for reasons other than just training. Damn him, she was turned on. She blinked, trying to push away the sensory overload, the memory of her body sliding along his. "Just fight me," she growled between clenched teeth.

"My pleasure," he said with a little bow. Straightening to his full height, he watched her with trained eyes, waiting to see what she would do next.

Magic was her strongest weapon, and relying mostly on her physical abilities wasn't something she did often. Even so, gulping in a deep breath of air, she darted forward. When he swung an arm at her, she used her smaller size to duck underneath. She followed this with an elbow to his ribs.

Garfield barely even stumbled at the blow, and when she tried for another, he transformed into a hummingbird and flitted up above her head, halting her assault. It also caused her to pitch forward, as she'd expected to feel resistance to her thrust instead of empty air.

As she stumbled, Beast Boy dropped down behind her, back in human form.

But she reacted fast. She automatically brought her elbow back. It connected with his mouth, driving him backward. When she spun, it was to find him dabbing gingerly at a drop of blood that welled up onto his lip. "Good one," he said with a crooked little smile.

She shook her head, not ready to take a compliment until she truly took him down. Shaking out her limbs, she took another deep breath and raced toward him.

Garfield reached for her when she got close, but at the last possibly second, she threw herself to the ground, sliding between his legs. Propelling herself to her feet, she delivered a dropkick to his back before he was able to turn around. He stumbled forward, fell to his knees.

She was back on her feet and smiling before he'd had time to recover. She had it. Her small window of opportunity. He didn't give them very often. Racing toward him, she jumped up into the air. Her legs wrapped around his neck and she spun her body around, dragging him down to the ground with the weight of her legs.

An instant later, she was rolling onto him, pinning him down to the floor as he'd done to her earlier. Her legs were around his hips, and her arms pinned his down to the ground. She gave herself a little assistance with her magic, using it to help restrain him.

His chest rising and falling in pants, he stared up at her, his emerald gaze dancing with energy.

She returned his stare, her lungs heaving. "I win." He won eight times out of ten, so any chance she got to pin him, she took it. She reveled in it. For the first two and a half months, he won every time. Robin was right. She was getting better at this. Training with Garfield was making her stronger.

She dropped her head to her chest and attempted to catch her breath. As she did, her legs slipped more solidly around him, rocking their lower bodies together.

Garfield let out a low groan in the back of his throat and she felt his body respond, felt the awakenings of arousal. Shit, she wasn't the only one turned on.

But then the door to the training room burst open and Robin walked in. "You're getting better, Raven. Impeccably better." His lips tugged into a frown. "Though I'm not sure how much of that was combat and how much was foreplay. Even I'm going to need a cold shower after that," he grumbled.

Raven flushed with embarrassment, but Robin had already forgotten them as he made his way to a heavy bag to warm up for his own workout.

Garfield let his head drop back against the floor with a little groan. "A cold shower sounds good right about now."

"I'm sorry." She slipped off of him and tossed her hood back over her hair in an attempt to hide her expression. They'd been together nearly six months, but she'd been dragging her feet with taking that final step. It made her feel guilty any time she got him worked up.

It wasn't that she didn't trust him. She did. With her life. She just wasn't sure if she trusted herself. Sometimes her emotions for Garfield sent her into a panic. Sometimes it made keeping her inner balance tricky. There were days where she needed to retreat into solitude. There were days when the emotions rolling off of him became too much for her to bear. But she was getting better. She was learning to open herself up to him more and more with each passing week.

But the thought of sex terrified her. Or at least it had… She'd been mentally preparing herself for it more and more, even if she wasn't able to admit it—even to herself. She'd been prepping her mind, prepping her control. And all the while, Beast Boy remained supportive. He hadn't once pressed the issue. He hadn't even asked into the topic. He understood how difficult this was for her, and he was willing to take baby steps. He'd always been willing to take baby steps.

She wasn't sure she was anymore…

Climbing to his feet, he made a sound of disapproval in the back of his throat. "Hey, now." He lifted his hands to her hood and pushed it back away from her face. "Don't go hiding yourself because I can't control my…reactions to you." He sent her a smile that was self-depreciating and a little embarrassed. "I'm the one that should be sorry. Not you."

She shook her head at this. "Don't be sorry." She hadn't wanted to make him feel awkward about his reaction just because she'd been caught by surprise by her own. "You're not the only one who could use a cold shower."

His face lit up at this. "Yeah?" His expression became suddenly smug and he stood a little taller.

"Don't let it go to your head," she grumbled, though her lips were curved in a miniscule smile. In tandem, they turned and headed out of the training room toward the main area of the Tower, walking side by side. "Besides, now that I've slyly inserted the image of me in the shower into your head, you'll be in there quite a while trying to cool down."

His head whipped in her direction and his eyes widened. They were _both_ stunned those words had come out of her mouth. She wasn't much good at flirting, and her experience with trying to be sexy was nonexistent.

Instead of harassingly her, his lips curved into a grin. Placing a hand dramatically to his heart, he said, "You really are cold, Rae. Super cold."

She shook her head in an act of contrition. "I don't know where that came from. I apologize."

"Hey, I kind of liked it. Though you're right, that image is going to be planted in my head now. Shame on you." They'd reached the hallway leading to the bathrooms and he paused to look at her. "I'll see you for lunch after we get showered?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm just going to…check in with Star really quick first."

He nodded and headed off down the hallway with a little salute of departure.

Raven made a detour and went toward the kitchen. She found Starfire at the table, munching happily on something unidentifiable. It was always best not to ask. "Hey, Star…"

"Friend Raven!" Starfire's sunny smile fell slightly at the sight of her. "You are the sweaty. Should you not bathe before participating in the lunch?"

Raven waved this off. "I was on my way to the showers. I just… I… Well, I wanted to talk…with you."

It was as if she'd muttered the magic words. Starfire shoved her bowl forcefully to the side, where it crashed into a vase and nearly topped to the floor. She clasped her hands together in delight, sucking in an excited breath. "I am the all yours."

A wave of exhilaration slammed into Raven and she flinched. She was forced to throw up a mental shield around herself to battle the onslaught of enthusiasm rolling off of Starfire. "Whoa there, Star. Turn down the intensity a bit."

Starfire bobbed her head and, immediately, the wave of excitement became a dull hum instead of a full-on assault. "My apologies."

Raven nodded in thanks at the less forceful emotions, then trained her attention on the tabletop. She tapped her fingers against its surface, unsure of what to say even though she'd been the one to request a conversation.

"Raven…?" Starfire asked carefully.

"Yeah. I know." She frowned, her gaze glued to her tapping fingers. How did she even broach this topic? Maybe she shouldn't have even attempted to. "Do you remember a few months ago? When you asked me if I'd ever…" She trailed off, unable to voice it. "You asked, and I said when I did you'd be the first to know…?"

Starfire's expression was puzzled. "I am not quite sure what it is you are doing…or not doing, Friend Raven."

Raven flushed and hated that she was going to have to elaborate. "With Garfield." She shot Starfire a pointed look, hoping their prior conversation would click into place.

Realization dawned and Starfire let out a loud gasp. "Did you? Have you? When did it happen? What was it like? Oh, tell me every detail!"

Raven waved a hand frantically in the air to quiet the alien princess. "Nothing happened. Not yet. I'm not sure it's going to, and honestly, I'm not even sure I should be telling you any of this. I just…" She paused and took a deep, calming breath. "I think I want to. With him. And I am not good at this sort of thing. Like at all. And I just wanted…advice," she finally whispered.

She wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and pulled her feet up on the stool she'd slid into, hugging her knees to her chest. "I want to. But I'm terrified. It's going to be complicated. Everything with me is always complicated." There was bitterness in her voice at this admission, though it was nothing new to her.

She rested her chin on her knees, appreciating that Starfire remained silent and let her get it all out. This was probably more words than she'd ever used in a conversation with Star before, and it wasn't exactly a topic she was comfortable with. "There are always people around. It's makes it hard for me to…relax. To even think about such a thing. So I don't even know when we would ever even get a chance… This is all just kind of hypothetical." She let out a weary sigh and ran a hand over her face. "But I've been contemplating it. A lot. And I always come back to the same concerns. I just fear this isn't fair to Gar. Our first time shouldn't be filled with the worry that it's going to shatter my mental stability. But that _is_ the worry, at least for me it is."

She sighed again. "I know this is a lot to dump on you, but I don't have that many friends. And you're the _only_ one I feel comfortable talking about something like this to." It wasn't like she was going to ask Robin or Cyborg for sex advice. No thank you.

Raven was so busy rambling that she hadn't noticed Starfire had slipped out of her seat. She was suddenly wrapping her arms around her friend, squeezing her tight.

"It is okay to be the complicated," Starfire said carefully. "Friend Beast Boy has never shied away from your complications. This will be no different."

Raven flinched at the close contact, but forced her shoulders to relax. She was slowly getting better with intimacy, but it still sometimes caught her by surprise. "I know. You're right. He's been great. About all of it."

As Starfire settled back into her own seat, Raven avoided eye contact and whispered, "But that's not even my biggest concern. What if I'm not…good." She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Good at it."

Starfire let out a tinkling laugh at this. "I do not think this is more worrisome than the mental instability, but I am confident that you have nothing to fear." She smiled sweetly. "Friend Beast Boy finds no fault in anything you do." Her brows furrowed. "And I do mean anything."

With a frown of curiosity, Raven asked, "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Starfire shrugged. "Last week, you were in the kitchen and did the burping very loud. Friend Beast Boy proudly said, "That's my girl." He was pleased even with the burping, Raven. _Even with the burping_."

Despite her embarrassment at this, Raven gave a short burst of laughter, not only at the ridiculousness of the story but also Star's impersonation of Garfield. "So you're telling me it would be pretty hard to mess things up, huh?"

On Starfire's nod, Raven let out a little sigh. "That still doesn't really give me an opportunity." She shook her head. "I'm not sure I'll be able to relax enough to do something like that knowing everyone else is in the Tower. But I'm not sure going to a hotel is the right move just in case things go haywire…" She let out a little sound of frustration. "But we're coming up on six months. I feel like we've waited long enough."

"When is the six-month anniversary?" Starfire asked eagerly.

"Two days from now," Raven said distractedly. "But it isn't going to be a big deal. I already went over that with Gar. I don't want to make a production about it. I told him no flowers, no presents, no" —she shivered— "chocolate."

A grin spread over Starfire's face. "Two days. That is most convenient that the rest of us are taking an overnight trip to visit the Titans East then."

Raven's brows rose. "No you're not. What are you talking about?"

"The visit."

"There is no visit."

Starfire nodded with a wicked grin. "Maybe not yet, but something tells me Robin will decide on a trip after a few subtle hints."

"You're going to manipulate Robin into taking a trip East?" Raven asked in astonishment. "For me?"

Starfire winked. "Whatever do you mean. It will be Robin's idea."

Raven cocked her head, staring at her friend in amusement. "Star…have you done this before?"

The alien princess shrugged, feigning innocence. "It was also Robin's choice to go to New York last spring. A happy coincidence Cats was playing on Broadway that week when I so desperately wanted to see it."

Raven gasped and pointed at her friend. "I knew that trip felt totally random!"

Starfire pressed a finger to her lips. "Shh." She giggled. "Robin can be very stubborn about things, but sometimes when he is distracted, small ideas can be planted in his mind."

Raven shook her head at this, amazed. Robin would surely get all huffy if he realized Starfire held more sway than he realized. But then again, he was gaga for his teammate. Maybe Starfire wasn't as subtle as she thought. Either way…

"Thanks, Starfire. I really appreciate this."

Starfire nodded with a little squeal of excitement. "Six months! Do not disappoint me, Raven. You must "get some"," she said, using air quotes. She gave Raven a gentle nudge with her toe. "But first, you must do the showering."

OOOOO

Two days later, Raven stood in the center of the kitchen, wringing her hands nervously. As promised by Starfire, the other Titans had hopped on a plane for Titans East. Before leaving, Starfire had made a very pointed show of the fact that they would not be returning until the next evening. She also made sure to congratulate Beast Boy on his six-month anniversary.

The tamaranian princess had also done something most unexpected—she'd helped set the mood for a romantic evening. She'd left food supplies and a recipe for a vegetarian dinner for them to cook together. She'd also put fresh flowers on the kitchen table as well as set it with a fancy tablecloth and good china. She'd dimmed the lighting before they'd headed out. And she'd "accidently" left soft music playing on the stereo in the living room. It was all very…romantic. Which was not something Raven did well. So it was making her unbelievably nervous.

The fact that Starfire had forced her into a dress didn't help.

It was simple and black, the only type of dress she might ever succumb to wearing, but it was still a dress all the same. She currently had it hidden under her cape, tucked out of view, but she wouldn't be able to do that all evening if things…progressed.

"Gee, you think Star was trying to give us any hints?"

Garfield's sheepishly teasing comment helped slice through the tension. Raven found herself chuckling. "She doesn't do subtle, does she?"

"No, she doesn't." He waved a hand toward his outfit. "I'd planned to stay in my Titans uniform in case we got called out and she reacted with horror, told me I had to clean up "for once"."

Raven studied his outfit thoughtfully. He wore a simple black button-down shirt over a pair of faded jeans. His shirt had the first two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. It was…nice, but still with that touch of casual Beast Boy. "I like it," she admitted.

He flushed, something rare for him, and ran a hand along the back of his neck. "Yeah…well…should we cook?"

Smiling at her shocking ability to fluster him, she nodded. "Yeah. Starfire left us a recipe for vegetarian lasagna." She shrugged, glancing at the simple enough recipe. "Wanna order pizza?"

He burst into laughter at her joke and shook his head. "And incur Star's wrath? No thanks. I'll stick to the lasagna."

Raven chuckled and nodded her agreement. "Good call." Moving to the fridge, she pulled out the ingredients and handed them over to him, one by one.

He stacked them on the table's center, then moved to pull down a few bowls and a baking dish. While he did, she set water to boil for their noodles. Picking up the recipe sheet, he studied it with a studious pucker of his lips. "Looks like we need to chop and cook the veggies. Then cook the spinach."

"Sounds easy enough." Grabbing a cutting board and knife, she made her way back over to the table and slid a green pepper onto the board. Twice, her cape slipped into the way and with a little huff, she undid the clasp and tossed it to one of the chairs.

She'd done it subconsciously, not taking her outfit into consideration. It was only when a silence stretched that she glanced at Garfield over her shoulder.

He was staring at her with a stunned expression on his face.

"What?"

"You're…you're in a dress."

She frowned. "You know who to thank for that." She shifted uncomfortably on her feet. There was nothing Starfire could really do for her otherworldly skin, but she'd applied some light blush, a little eyeliner. She'd done her best to "fancy" Raven up as much as the half-demon would allow. Even that tiny bit had Raven squirming.

"You look amazing," he said in a voice so low it was nearly a whisper.

 _I love the way you look tonight_

 _With your hair hangin' down on your shoulders_

She nearly came back with a snappy retort of how he shouldn't get used to it, but she forced the natural response down. With the plans she had for tonight, she had to be nice to him. That was kind of a requirement. So no matter how off-kilter all of this made her feel, she needed to deal with it. "Um…thanks." She tugged at the hem of the too-short dress, trying to cover more of her thighs.

He simply smiled at her until she was unable to take his stare any longer. Whipping back to the counter, she returned to her green peppers. She chopped silently for a moment, attempting to lose herself in the action, but then a snicker filled her ears. "What?" she asked, glancing at him over her shoulder.

"You're doing it the hard way." He shook his head in mock disappointment. "Too much meat, not enough veggies."

"I eat plenty of veggie—vegetables." She'd almost said _veggies_ , and it caused an involuntary shiver. Using his nickname was bad enough. She wasn't about to start doing it for foods, too.

"Well, you don't cut them properly. Here. Let me show you."

When he stepped forward, Raven held out the knife to relinquish it. But instead of taking it from her, he wrapped his hand around hers and stepped in against her back. Working over her shoulder, he guided her hand to slice through the pepper. "You have to glide with the knife. In a sweeping motion. It's cuts better this way, holds in flavor too."

It was too bad for him that vegetables were the absolute last thing on her mind in that moment. The only thing she was retaining was the brush of his chest against her back, the warmth of his breath against her ear. Maybe Starfire was on to something here… Cooking together was turning out to be much more intimate than she'd anticipated.

"And we're done." His hand on hers, he lowered the knife to the counter, seemingly unaware of the affect he had on her. Once the knife was safely down, he slipped his arm around her waist and held her close, his chin resting on top of her head as he surveyed the ingredients before them. "So what next?"

Okay, so maybe he did realize… "The…the um…celery."

She felt him grin into her hair. "Okay, you do that while I get the noodles going and the spinach boiling. Then we can start on the filling." He winked at her over his shoulder as he released her to cross the kitchen and peel open the box of lasagna noodles. "Our first meal together as a couple. I think it's going to come out okay."

She was almost relieved when he crossed the kitchen, putting some distance between them. Cooking a romantic meal together suddenly felt like an overwhelming onslaught to her psyche, especially when her mind was preoccupied with…thoughts. She took a deep breath and gripped the edge of the counter, unable to even think about the celery. She was fairly certain she was in deeper than she could handle. It was going to be too much. Just _this_ was too much.

It took her a moment to realize she was having a panic attack. Her chest felt tight, and her breaths came in shallow bursts as she questioned what she'd been thinking, allowing Starfire to plan such an evening for them. It was starting to freak her out. Instead of cementing their status as a couple, it had her second-guessing everything.

Garfield, always observant, frowned. "You okay, Rae?"

She shook her head in negation. She was far from okay right now. "What are we doing here?"

"Uh…making dinner?"

"No. I mean all of it. What are we doing? What were we thinking…"

He dropped the box of noodles and crossed the kitchen to her side, but she held up a hand to stop him from touching her. "Raven…?" he asked nervously.

She pressed her hand to her chest, struggling to calm herself. "Why are we doing this to ourselves? Because the deeper we get in, the more it's going to hurt when it ends. Right?" What would happen to her if things went wrong? _When_ they went wrong? Would she be able to balance that suffering out? Unlikely. It would weaken her, destroy her.

"Why does it have to end?" he asked quietly.

"Because doesn't it always?" she asked, and she heard the anguish in her voice.

"It doesn't have to."

She shook her head again, not accepting that answer. "What exactly are you going for here?" she asked. "The impossible?" She gave a laugh that held no humor. "Marriage with the white picket fence? Kids?"

"Why not?"

Her heart seized at this. "You can't be serious."

He shrugged a shoulder.

"Garfield, superheroes don't get happy endings like that. They fight until eventually they die. That's the kind of life we signed up for. Not…this." She shook her head. "I can't fall in love with you only to watch you die. I can't."

"Hey…" He closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms. "That's not going to happen."

She tucked her face into his shoulder, hating how weak she felt admitting her fears. But it was time they had this talk, before things went too far. "You don't know that."

"No," he said softly. "I don't." He squeezed her tightly into his chest. "But I do know that some superheroes get their happy ever after. It does happen. You just have to fight for it." He put a finger under her chin and forced her to look up at him. "And I'm going to fight with everything in me, okay?"

She felt her lip tremble and sank her teeth into it to hide the reaction. Though there was no hiding the hint of tears that welled up. "You don't know what's going to happen. What if I lose control one day and you have to stop me? Kill me. What happens if—"

"I'll bring you back." He sighed softly. "I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but whatever it is, we'll deal with it. I told you months ago—I'm all in. I wasn't joking, Rae."

Her heart thumped in joy at this admission, then in terror at what it all entailed. "I'm not ready for all of that."

His brows rose and his lip quirked in amusement. "And you think I am? If left to my own devices, I sleep until noon. I play way too many video games. As you've pointed out on multiple occasions, my room is a raging mess. Am I ready to be a dad? Hell no." He shook his head emphatically at that. "But eventually?" He shrugged. "Is the future—and I mean _way_ future—idea of green shapeshifting, quarter-demon kids with magical powers an interesting one? Hell yes." He wiggled her slightly in his arms. "Tell me you don't think that would be interesting to see."

She let out a soft laugh, unable to help herself. How did he manage to always insert logic and calm into her panic? How did he always manage to convince her that she was human enough to have the life she never thought she could have? "It's not unappealing," she grudgingly admitted.

"Exactly." He pressed a kiss to her nose. "But that's a long way off, and a lot of awkward conversations away. It's not anything we should be thinking about or worrying about now. We've been together six months. The heaviest thing you should be worried about is making the filling for this lasagna."

She nodded slowly. "You're right…"

"I am. Leave the future for future Raven to worry about. Right now, I just want to make lasagna with you. Baby steps, Rae. The rest will fall in line."

She nodded again. Baby steps. Lasagna. She could do lasagna. The rest would fall into place as they went. "All right. Let's work on this filling."

OOOOO

Beast Boy slid the finished lasagna into the oven and closed the door. Removing the oven mitt on his hand, he tossed it to the counter. "Well, we've got forty-five minutes until dinner. Now what?"

Raven had an idea _now what_ , but she wasn't about to voice it aloud. Frowning, she leaned against the counter and pondered how to broach such a sensitive topic. Then his comment of baby steps flitted through her mind. "I like this song," she said as the soft sound of violins drifted in from the stereo in the living room.

He stared at her for a moment, uncomprehending. It was only after she arched a brow that he understood. "Oh!" His brows furrowed. "Oh…do you want to…dance?"

She silently nodded, but didn't move away from where she leaned against the counter.

His eyes crinkled in amusement and _he_ crossed the kitchen to _her_. "Okay. But I'll warn you, I'm not a very good dancer. I'm going to step on your toes and get the rhythm all wrong."

"I would be disappointed otherwise," she said lightly as she allowed him to pull her in against his chest. Even though dancing had been her idea, she was stiff in his arms for a moment. She'd come a long way in the months they'd been together, but every new step was a little awkward. Even the small things caught her unaware. Even something as trivial as dancing. "I've…I've never done this before," she admitted awkwardly.

He looked down at her, his expression one of astonishment. "You've never danced with someone?"

When she shook her head, he whistled. "A night of firsts, isn't it? Our first dinner, our first dance…"

Raven flushed. And maybe another first if things went well.

He pressed on, unaware of whether her thoughts had headed. "Well, you saved yourself the worst of it," he said as he gently swayed to the music, moving her with his shuffled steps. "Those tween years." He shivered dramatically. "Totally awkward. A lot of avoiding eye contact. Standing as far away as possible while still touching each other's shoulders." He pulled her tight against him. "I much prefer this."

"Yes," she agreed, keeping her tone as neutral and calm as possible. "This is nice. I can see why people like it." She fell silent, gauging the benefits of such a simple thing. It truly was nice. Unexpectedly so.

"So…you think we'll dance to this song at our wedding then?" he asked, amusement thick in his voice.

He was teasing her, but she still couldn't help but shoot him a warning look. "That isn't funny." She paused, listening to the violinist really take off. It was gentle and calming, a mix of instruments and a sultry voice that was alluring to the ear. "But this is very pleasing, so if I had to choose a song, this one would not be terrible."

He chuckled. "Noted."

As they danced, she frowned, envisioning such a thing. "I don't want to get married in a church. For obvious reasons. I would prefer a park. In the spring. When the flowers are just starting to blossom."

His brows rose at her unexpected revelation of preferences. "Definitely noted."

Realizing she'd gotten extremely off track, she let out an embarrassed huff. "Enough talk about such silly things. Just…kiss me." That was all she needed right now. She just wanted to be with him. She wanted to celebrate their six months together. Because even though it wasn't all that long, it was a big deal for her. She'd never thought she would be here. She'd never thought she'd allow herself to care for another person the way she cared for him. It was monumental.

For the longest time, she'd had a hard time realizing that she was just as much human as she was demon. The demon half of her was so dominant that it had been hard to focus on anything else. But the more she concentrated on her human side, the stronger it became. In the years she'd been a Titan, she'd humanized herself in leaps and bounds. Now it was time she allowed herself to truly enjoy the rewards.

Standing on her tiptoes, she leaned into his chest and pressed her lips to his.

His arms tightened around her waist and he returned her kiss.

Motivated by his eager return of affection, she looped an arm around his neck, holding his mouth to hers.

 _And I love the way you dance your slow sweet tango_

 _The way you wanna do everything but talk_

The music shifted to another song, and she pulled back slightly to listen to the new arrangement. She closed her eyes, allowing the soothing sound to wash over her.

She jumped in surprise, feeling the sensation of lips brushing against her throat. She smiled, eyes still closed, taking in the sensation. His breath was warm against her skin, sending a tingle down her spine.

When he pulled back, she opened her eyes and lifted her purple gaze to his. "Garfield…" She sucked in a breath, trying to find the courage to ask for what she wanted.

 _And how you stare at me with those "undress-me" eyes_

 _Your breath on my body makes me warm inside_

She'd never been one for words. Instead, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and tugged. She guided him out of the kitchen, down the hallway.

"Rae?" he asked. For the first time in forever, she didn't hear any amusement in his voice. She didn't hear his silly confidence or playfulness. He sounded cautious and there was a note of anticipation in his tone. He _knew_. He had to, surely. Why else would she be dragging him off to her bedroom like this?

She remained silent, focusing on getting to her room and tamping down her nerves, her unease. Being this anxious was only going to make her emotions more difficult to control. When they reached the doors, they slid open with a little hiss.

And her jaw dropped.

Stunned, she gaped at the scene that greeted them. Candles burned in strategically placed areas. And they weren't the practical candles she used for magic. They were the girly kind. They left a flowery scent in the air, making the normally somber area feel almost…cozy. Rose petals dotted the floor, leading the way to the bed. Her comforter was covered with the dark red petals.

Starfire. She'd covered everything. Down to the last detail. Raven owed her. Big time. These were all the girly details she never would have thought of on her own. And they'd just made everything absolutely… _perfect_.

"Raven," Garfield said in awe as he took in their surroundings.

With the added motivation from the setting, she turned to him. Tightening her grip on his shirt, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. It was unlike any other kiss they'd shared. Because there was _intent_ behind it.

Not letting her mouth leave his, she walked backward, pulling him farther into the room. She inched back until her knees hit the edge of the bed and she sank down onto it. She kept her grip on his shirt, and it caused him to bend over her.

He remained standing, carefully keeping his distance. Even so, his mouth moved eagerly over hers and his hands braced against the mattress on either side of her. He cocooned her in his frame, responding eagerly even if cautiously. After a few languid moments of their mouths exploring each other, he lifted his head from hers, a million questions in his eyes.

She answered them all with one simple sentence. "I'm ready," she whispered. To demonstrate this, she scooted back on the bed, placing herself in its center. Then she tugged on his shirt, pulling him toward her.

He immediately obliged and climbed onto the mattress. He crawled up her body, his mouth finding hers again the moment he was able. Though he joined her, ever the gentleman, he still let the gap between them remain. He knelt above her, his knees on either side of one of hers.

She let out a little sound of frustration at the distance, wanting him closer. She wrapped an arm around his neck, her fingers sliding through his hair. With her free hand, she fumbled with the buttons of his shirt.

Understanding what she wanted, he helped her wrench the stubborn buttons free and shook his arm to rid himself of the garment. Then he tossed it behind him to the floor. Once it was out of the way he finally—finally—sank down on top of her. He nestled in against her body, and his heat melted into her, warming her chilly flesh.

She let her hands travel up his sides, her fingertips grazing his skin. It felt so smooth, so warm. Her fingers danced along his back, over the muscles of his shoulder blades.

His nose moved to one of his favorite places—the hollow of her throat—and he nuzzled against her. His breath exhaled hotly against her flesh, sending a wave of desire shooting through her. "Rae…"

 _Let's make out_

 _Let's do something amazing_

 _Let's do something that's all the way_

 _'Cause I've never touched somebody like the way I touch your body_

 _Now I never want to let your body go_

The sound of her name whispered so breathlessly from his lips was her undoing. Her mouth found his again. Reaching between them, she tugged at the waistband of his jeans, trying to locate the button. Her hands fumbled, but she managed to finally get it free.

As she did, one of his hands snuck underneath her and slowly lowered the zipper on the back of her dress. Once he had it unzipped, he gently tugged at the fabric, sliding it down over her shoulders.

Arching her hips, she helped him wiggle the dress down her waist, over her legs. The whole while, their mouths never broke contact. Her dress hit the floor beside his shirt.

Almost immediately, she was back to tugging at his slacks. She'd gotten the zipper to pull loose, causing the front of his jeans to gape open. She reached a hand toward him, then hesitated. She'd faced super villains set on world domination with bravery, but this? This frightened her. More than anything in her life ever had.

Steeling her nerves, she went for it. In one swift jerk of her arm, she crossed the distance between them and cupped the front of his slacks in her palm. She could feel him hard and ready beneath the fabric that separated him from her hand.

She must have done something right, because he gave a soft hiss and squeezed his eyes closed.

"Shit," he whispered, his jaw tense. He remained very still for a moment before his emerald eyes blinked open. "Are we… Are we really doing this?"

She nodded mutely, unable to speak. It was hard to focus on anything besides the fact that she was touching him.

He bobbed his head in agreement and swallowed thickly. "Okay." He let out a shaky breath. "Okay." With unsteady fingers, he reached behind her once again to undo the hooks of her bra. While her hand continued to tentatively explore his body, he slid her bra down her arms.

She could feel his fingers trembling and it brought a smile to her lips. She wasn't the only one nervous it would seem. That knowledge helped the tension ease out of her shoulders.

Garfield gave her a quick kiss before slipping from the bed. She sat up with curiosity to watch him hurry out of his pants. As he did, his eyes flicked almost nervously over her bare upper body. "You're…beautiful." Then in classic Beast Boy fashion, his lips curved into a devilish smirk. "You could definitely use some sunlight though."

Her own lips tugged into a little grin. "Jerk." It wasn't like she had much choice in her otherworldly skin. It was just a part of who she was. "You're one to talk." She was honestly contemplating whether his green skin actually tanned or not when he climbed back onto the bed.

"I like your coloring," he said, placing a lingering kiss to her shoulder.

"You're just trying to get laid."

"Doesn't make it not true," he said with a little laugh of amusement. He placed another kiss to her shoulder before sitting back slightly. "I have no clue what I'm doing," he confessed. "This is…uh…kind of new to me."

She arched a brow, her expression wry. "That makes two of us."

He nodded in acknowledgement. "Yeah. I just…I don't want to hurt you."

She shifted on the bed to get closer to him. Placing her hand over his, she said, "I've been pounded into the ground by Cinderblock and walked away. Nothing you do could possibly hurt me."

"Yeah, but he was trying to hurt you. I'm not. That makes it worse if I do."

She reached a hand up to cup his cheek. "You won't." She let her hand travel up into his hair as she tilted her face up to his for a kiss.

It seemed all the encouragement he needed. With a soft growl, he shifted her back until he could lower her head to her pillow. His mouth on hers, he slid her panties down her legs and quickly discarded them.

Raven tugged at the hem of his brief and he was quickly out of them.

Hovering over her, his gaze darted over her face, assuring himself this was what she wanted. "Ready?"

She nodded hurriedly, her hands fisting the blanket underneath of her.

"Okay." While she sucked in a breath and held it, he guided himself to her opening and slowly eased his way in.

She hissed, tightening her grip on the comforter. It was such an odd, invasive sensation but not an unpleasant one.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

She bit her lip and nodded, shifting her hips ever so slightly to adjust to the feeling. "Yes," she said on a breathless whisper.

Bracing himself on his elbows, he began to carefully, cautiously withdrawal. When he slid back inside of her, Raven arched her hips to meet him halfway. He groaned, burying his face in her hair, his mouth near her ear so she could hear every breathy exhale.

They fell into a comfortable rhythm—withdrawal and arch together, withdrawal and arch together. She found her hips lifting up more and more with each thrust. She became more comfortable with each movement of his hips.

Her fingers eased off of the blanket and instead slowly traveled up his back. As her muscles eased, he sank more comfortably against her. Their bodies worked together, seeking a high like she'd never experienced before. It wasn't like she'd never had an orgasm before, but this…it was different. _Much_ , much different.

"Garfield…" She clung to his back, her hips arching off the bed. A helpless whimper escaped her as she drew even closer to release. Power built, whirling frantically inside of her. She gave another soft whimper that he swallowed up with his mouth over hers.

Her nails curled against his flesh, finding purchase as he forced his way deeper, driving a cry from her throat. As he pulled his hips back for another thrust, she knew this was it. She was going over the edge. There was no holding back.

When he thrust into her, she shattered. Pleasure crashed over her, quaking powerfully through her entire body. She gave a strangled whimper of completion as a wave of power rippled out from her being. It sent a shockwave through the air. Her desk chair tilted to the floor and in the kitchen, she heard something shatter. But her mind remained intact.

Above her, Garfield had gone still. His ragged pants echoed in her ear for a moment before he let out a little chuckle. "Holy shit. We broke something in the kitchen."

His laugh sent a mini shockwave of pleasure through her body, which was still connected to his and she sucked in a sharp breath at the sensation. "Yeah…"

He shifted his hips, but not to pull away. Instead, he carefully lowered himself more securely over her body. "That was…"

"Worth the wait."

"Yeah." He lowered his lips to hers, kissing her long and slow. "You were."

 _Let's make a night, to remember_

 _From January, to December_

 _Let's make love, to excite us_

 _A memory, to ignite us_

 _Let's make honey, baby, soft and tender_

 _Let's make sugar, darlin', sweet surrender_

 _Let's make a night, to remember, all life long_

Garfield pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before shifting again. He moved to lay beside her in the bed, his head braced up on his hand while he gazed down at her. "That was, hands down, my favorite thing we've ever done together."

She laughed lightly, her purple gaze lifted to his emerald one as she rested on her back. "I don't know. I do enjoy the intellectual challenges of our chest games. Those might be at the top of my list…"

He pinched her hip playfully. "Liar."

Raven laughed again and lifted a fingertip to wipe away a bead of sweat from his forehead. "Guilty as charged. That was definitely the most fun thing we've ever done together." She let out a content sigh and closed her eyes, nestling her head into the pillow. She was exhausted, but in a good way.

When she opened her eyes again, it was to find him staring down at her with concern.

"What?" she asked warily.

"Are you… You're okay, right? No…pain? Or, um, mental catastrophe issues?"

She bobbed her head in affirmation. "I'm fine." She offered him a tiny smile. "I think it helps that all of my emotions like you."

"Some of them a little too much," he grumbled.

She chuckled, her thoughts going to Happy. She knew the emoticlone freaked him out a bit. "Happy can be a little intense," she admitted.

"That's one way of putting it." He let out a little sigh and reached out to stroke a fingertip along the curve of her breast. "But seriously, Rae, this has been the best night of my life. And I'm a freaking super hero, so there's a lot of competition there."

 _I love the way you move tonight_

 _Beads of sweat drippin' down your skin_

 _Me lying here and you lyin' there_

 _Our shadows on the wall and our hands everywhere_

She ducked her head, feeling suddenly shy. "We should, uh, check on that lasagna. There's a good chance it's burning right now." She slipped out of the bed and picked up her dress.

A moment later, his hand closed over hers and he gently lifted the material from her hand. "Here. Be comfortable." Dropping the dress to the floor, he instead handed her his button up shirt.

She stared at it for a moment in silence before shrugging and slipping her arms into the sleeves. It smelled like his body wash, all manly and sensual. She hopefully hid her little shiver of desire as she shrugged the material up over her shoulders.

While she watched in silence, he pulled the material together in the front and quickly went down the buttons, popping them together. He wasn't wrong about it being more comfortable than the tight dress. She felt warm and cozy, even if the sleeves were too long and fell past her hands. Lifting her gaze to his, she asked, "But what are you going to wear?"

He grinned wickedly. "After that? We deserve to be comfortable." He picked up his briefs and slipped into them. "Who hasn't wanted to eat lasagna in their underwear?" He laughed at the idea, before leaning in to give her a quick kiss. "Now, why don't you go freshen up in the bathroom while I get dinner out and ready?"

She flushed slightly at his offer. It was much appreciated. She was…sticky. And more than a little sweaty. She could use a moment to tidy up. "Um…thanks. I'll meet you back in the kitchen."

OOOOO

Raven was not girly like Starfire. She didn't care about fashion or jewelry. But as she exited the bathroom, she stopped to spritz on a little bit of the floral perfume she occasionally wore.

She'd cleaned herself up and made sure she looked presentable. She'd washed off her smudged makeup, leaving her face bare of products. She'd dabbed at her sweaty skin with a damp cloth. Her hair she'd left. The tousled state of her locks sent a shiver of pleasure through her belly. It was sex hair, and she liked it.

Padding bare foot back into the kitchen, she found Garfield serving slices of lasagna onto two plates. "Mmm, that smells amazing."

He grinned at her over his shoulder. "It does. I worked up quite the appetite."

Flushing, she accepted a plate from him. Nodding toward the door, she said, "Let's keep it comfortable and eat on the couch." Though Starfire had set up a beautiful table for them, the thought of the stiff chairs held little appeal. After what they'd just done, the soft couch felt more appropriate.

She took a seat on the couch and he plopped down beside her. She couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that he was still in nothing but his underwear. "I don't think this is what Starfire had in mind when she set up this fancy dinner for us."

He shrugged and took a bite of his lasagna. "I like this better."

"Yeah," she said softly as she cut a small piece of the lasagna free. "Me too." With a content sigh, she leaned up against the back of the couch, turning her body to face him as she chewed.

The two of them ate in silence, but it was an easy silence. It was a silence of serenity and satisfaction. There was a calm peacefulness to the Tower that was rarely ever present with so many of them living together.

"I could get used to nights like this," she admitted as she slipped her last bite past her lips.

He groaned in yearning. "Yeah. Me too." He lifted her empty plate from her hand and stacked it on top of his before placing both on the coffee table in front of the couch. "Don't get me wrong. I love having the others around but…"

"You're not sleeping with the rest of them," she supplied with amusement.

"Yeah. That."

She nodded. "Understandable." Another silence stretched, one in which she thought of the others. And their imminent return home. "Are things going to be different now?" she asked quietly. Sure, they'd been dating for months now, but this? It felt different. More significant. She could feel the difference between them already. It was subtle, but it was there. They'd shared something monumental and it had created an even deeper bond.

As if understanding what she was asking, he shrugged a shoulder. "A little?" His hand reached out to brush her hair back from her face. "But I know the others are happy for us. They're not going to make this shift difficult. They'll be encouraging. I'm sure of it."

She nodded, feeling bolstered by that knowledge. "They will." She hesitated before elaborating on her worries. "I just…" She waved a hand between them. "I like this. Right now. Right here. I want this to happen again. But with my powers—"

"We'll make it happen," he said firmly. "The others will just have to get used to your orgasmic power explosions," he teased. "They don't need all those dishes anyway. Or we'll go somewhere we can be alone. We'll make it work."

Raven flushed and lowered her gaze to the couch at the reminder of what her release had done. It was embarrassing and yet somehow kind of sexy all at the same time. "Okay. We'll make it work," she agreed softly. Her eyes had been ducked down to the cushions, and when she looked up, she found him staring intently at her. "What?" she asked nervously.

He scooted in and cupped her cheek, leaning in to press his lips to hers. "Just taking advantage of this rare solo time," he said against her lips.

She shifted closer, returning the kiss. And another. And another. Before she knew it, he was tugging her onto his lap. She straddled his waist, her hands buried in his hair. Her bare thighs rested against his, green and ghostly pale meshing together.

 _Let's make out_

 _Let's do something amazing_

 _Let's do something that's all the way_

 _'Cuz I've never touched somebody like the way I touch your body_

 _Now I never want to let your body go_

Garfield's hands slipped under the dress shirt she wore, traveling up her bare stomach until he reached her breasts. She gave a breathless gasp and her hips arched against his of their own volition. She could feel him hardening beneath her and wrenched her mouth away from his in surprise. "Again?" she asked in astonishment.

He gave a guilty little shrug. "Dinner rejuvenated me. And like I said…taking advantage of the solo time."

She nodded wordlessly in agreement and lifted her hips so he could yank down his briefs. Then she was sinking back onto him, their bodies melding together. He fit more comfortably this time, now that she knew what to expect.

One of his hands slid to her back to hold her against him while the other continued to gently caress her breast. Never in a million years would she have expected to be here with the changeling. Their relationship hadn't always been the calmest or easiest, especially in the beginning, but over the years he'd chipped away at her walls like no one else could have.

She rocked on top of him, her fingers gripping his hair lightly in her fists. Already, she could feel her body building up to a release, could feel power gathering. She exhaled sharply into his mouth and felt his breath hot on her face as well.

 _Let's make a night to remember_

 _From January to December_

 _Let's make love to excite us_

 _A memory to ignite us_

 _Let's make honey, baby, soft and tender_

 _Let's make sugar, darlin', sweet surrender_

 _Ah, let's make a night to remember, all life long_

Beside the couch, a small end table began trembling, its wooden legs vibrating against the floor. Unworried, Raven let out a little laugh as it teetered, threatening to topple over.

Garfield's hands slipped to her backside, helping her rock against him to the point she almost couldn't take the onslaught of pleasure. And then he did something completely unprecedented. He whispered words into her mouth that she'd not been expecting.

"I love you, Rae."

She gasped at the sudden confession. Even though she'd known how he'd felt for a very long time, hearing the words for the first time hit her hard. She squeezed her eyes tightly closed, buried her face in his shoulder, and allowed herself to crash over the edge.

Wave after wave of pleasure shot through her. She clung to him, never wanting to let go. The table beside them shot across the room and slammed into the wall. One of their plates from dinner cracked loudly. She didn't care. She'd buy a thousand new plates for the Tower just to experience this again.

 _Oh, well I think about you all the time_

 _Can't you see you drive me out of my mind_

 _Well I'm never holdin' back again_

 _Yea, I never want this night to end_

 _'Cuz I've never touched somebody like the way I touch your body_

 _Now I never want to let your body go_

Garfield's fingers pressed tightly into her flesh as he slowly came down from his own high. They remained that way for a few silent minutes, holding each other as if they might never get an opportunity to again.

Finally, he pressed a kiss to her ear and whispered, "Starfire left a chocolate cake for us in the fridge. Want to eat it naked in bed?"

She chuckled into his shoulder. "Absolutely."

 _Let's make a night to remember_

 _From January to December_

 _Let's make love to excite us_

 _A memory to ignite us_

 _Yeah, let's make honey, baby, soft and tender_

 _Let's make sugar, darlin', sweet surrender_

 _Let's make a night to remember, all, all life long_

 _Let's make out_

 _Let's do something amazing_

 _Let's do something that's all the way, everyday, yeah_

 _Let's make honey, yeah_

 _Let's make sugar_

 _Let's make a night to remember, oh_

 _Yeah, let's make love, slow and tender_

 _Let's make a night to remember, yeah_

OOOOO

Raven took one last look in the mirror and offered herself a rare smile. She felt energized, good. She could hear the other Titans in the kitchen making lunch and was eager to join them.

After waking tangled up with Garfield, the two had indulged in each other once more before having breakfast in bed. They'd stayed there for hours, him playing some handheld video game and her reading a book. It had been the perfect end to a perfect night together.

When they'd heard the other Titans returning, they'd disappeared to shower and prepare for the day. Now here she was, ready to face her friends after…last night.

It was silly. It wasn't as if any of them besides Starfire would have any clue what had transpired, but it still had a blush creeping up the back of her neck. She narrowed her eyes at her reflection and donned her usually somber expression.

She made her way into the kitchen and went immediately for her tea kettle.

"Friend Raven!" Starfire exclaimed.

"Star." She gave a nod of greeting before filling the kettle with water and starting it to boil.

Cyborg and Robin were at the table eating lunch. Beast Boy was leaning against the counter, picking at a salad. Starfire was perched in the chair beside Robin, but she slid out to join her friend at the stove.

"Did you enjoy your night alone?" she asked hopefully, a pointed tone to her voice.

Unable to help herself, Raven shot her friend a wry smile. "Yeah. I enjoyed it. Four times."

Starfire's brows rose nearly to her hairline. " _Four times_?"

Raven poured the now hot water into her mug and lifted a brow of her own in silent confirmation.

Starfire spun to look at Beast Boy in astonishment. "Adequate lover indeed," she said in awe.

Raven chuckled and brought her mug to her lips, relishing the burn of hot tea. Across the room, Garfield was animatedly telling Cyborg and Robin a story about some video game or another. His hands were waving in the air as he spoke. His voice was all high and excited.

As she leaned against the counter, reserved and quiet, she realized once again how different the two of them were. He was boisterous; she was quiet. He was social; she was reserved. She was darkness, and he was the light that shone through it. They were complete opposites, but that didn't stop her from loving him. He'd brought a balance to her life she never would have had otherwise.

And as she watched him engage with the other Titans, she understood for the first time that it didn't mean things had to significantly change at home. She could love him and still be a member of the team. She could love him and still be reserved, quiet, and serious. He could still be crazy and wild while being with her. She could still grumble at his antics, and he could still get restless with her meditation. Nothing had to be taken away. There were just more and better things added in there. Nothing had to change just because she had. All that had happened was that she'd just earned herself a new emoticlone—love.

The End


End file.
